English Schools' Football Association

England Manager - Andy Williams

esfa.co.uk caught up with England Under 18 Schools' Team Manager, Andy Williams, to gain his thoughts ahead of next week's training camp in Malaga.

Mr Williams said, "Traditionally the weather at February half-term in England is not so good and that's where the shift came to go abroad at this time. Saying that, our week last year coincided with one of the wettest February's Andalucia has experienced, so our preparation was hampered somewhat.

At this stage of preparation the team for the season have had 2 1/2 hours coaching together. With a full round of Centenary Shield matches to play a training camp will allow us a further 5 hours or so to heighten the players' knowledge and cohesion - this will be padded by some classroom sessions too.

Five days' away as a unit adds an extra dimension to the international experience for this group of young players. Some of them will never have been away with a team for this long beforeso it will prove a good opportunity to get together and build a team spirit that will be pivotal to the success of the team this year, as well as providing an invaluable (football) learning experience. Minus the two travel days, we are only in Malaga for three days, so the intense schedule in an unknown environment will create new challenges for the players that will push them out of their comfort zones. There will be a lot to cope with socially, emotionally and physically.

As the manager, the training camp takes on added importance. The games we will play whilst there become of secondary significance really. All of our attention is geared to March 4th and the opener at Telford against Northern Ireland. Training camp gives us the chance to see the players close up in a secluded environment; that added level of scrutiny enables us to learn more about each individual and to gather ideas about our game plans for the matches ahead."

England U18 Schools Fixture List 2011