Young Roos Squad Announced

The players will assemble at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for the camp from April 11 to 16.

The majority of the squad is drawn from the locally-based A-League and National Youth League playing ranks, with two players from the Victorian Premier League and Hertha Berlin’s Ante Drazina as the only overseas based player in the squad.

The get-together is the first of a series of training camps for Australian based players to prepare for the upcoming 2012 London Olympic Games Asian Qualifiers and FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011.

The Olyroos will face Yemen in the second round of the 2012 London Olympic Games Asian Qualifiers on June 19 and 23 with the venues to be confirmed at a later date.

The Young Socceroos will compete at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 which commences on July 29 with the final to be played on August 20.

Vidmar is eager to work with this group of players now that the Olyroos opponent for their first stage in qualifiers is known.

“It’s great to get the players back together for the first time since September last year," Vidmar said.

“This is the first of three vital camps for us to assess the status of all players and most importantly gauge their fitness levels since the conclusion of the Hyundai A-league season.

“We now know that we have a very challenging tie against Yemen in June and based on the information that we have gathered about our opposition we need to work on our own game plan accordingly."

Jan Versleijen is equally keen to get as much quality training time with his players with the start of the FIFA U-20 World Cup less than four months away.

“It’s important that we use all the possible time we have together positively to prepare for the upcoming tournament," Versleijen said.

“The fact that the majority of players are out of season makes our task that little bit more difficult.

“As per the competition regulations, we have to submit a preliminary list of 30 players in the next couple of months, so it’s up to the players to use this opportunity to prove that they should be in the final squad."

FFA technical director Han Berger believes that camps such as these are paramount to the success of our youth national teams.

“With the Hyundai A-League and National Youth League in recess, it is important that these players stay fit and sharp in the lead up to these very important competitions," Berger said.

“We all also use this opportunity to have the players face each other competitively.

“In a similar vein to the recent camp we held in Europe, we have invited some players into this camp to identify talent and it will be up to the players to prove themselves against their peers."

AIS Camp