Wylie proud to lead NI U19 women into first major tournament
Northern Ireland women's Manager Alfie Wylie says it's 'an honour' to coach the team in the UEFA Women's U-19 Championship.
The final draw for the August tournament will be held on Thursday at Belfast City Hall.
Hosts Northern Ireland will be in alongside the defending champions France, fellow home nations England and Scotland, and European giants like Spain, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Wylie knows it's new territory for his players, but he says they're approaching it without fear.
"It's different to prepare because obviously we've never been in any finals. But when you're the host country you want to do well, everybody knows you and they'll let you know if things don't go well for us.
But it's an honour and a privilege. There aren't many from Northern Ireland who can say they coached in a tournament, so I'm one of a few," he said.
"We've an excellent group of girls with a great attitude. They give up a lot of their time - but we're in among the big girls now and it's a once in a lifetime opportunity."
Group games will take place on the 8th, 11th and 14th of August across Windsor Park, Mourneview Park, Shamrock Park and the Ballymena Showgrounds.
"There's been a fantastic amount of work put into organising the tournament. The organisers here have been unbelievable. There's been a lot of work, a lot of investment into the development of this tournament," he said.
The tournament format will consist of 2 groups, each made up of 4 teams.
There's no seeding in the groups, and the teams which claim the top 2 places will progress to the semi-finals.
The draw will be conducted by Northern Ireland men's manager Michael O'Neill, senior women's captain Marissa Callaghan, and Nadine Kessler, a two-time winner of the championship, and 2014 European player of the year.
The countries which reach the semi-final stage will secure their place in the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France