Euros are a winner for club and town

The excitement has ramped up a notch with the announcement of the draw for the finals and the particulars of who will be playing who, where and when.

Rotherham is guaranteed to welcome the cream of the continent's young footballing talent because the AESSEAL New York Stadium has already been chosen to stage a quarter-final, a semi-final and the final.

Before then, two tasty Group games will whet the appetite of football lovers from near and far.

Last Thursday's draw saw Rotherham handed the Group C clash between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium on May 8. Then, on Thursday, May 8 (8pm), England take on Switzerland in Group A at the NYS. Their third match in the section, it is also a potential decider.

Tony Stewart...looking forward to welcoming Europe's best young players to the NYS.

The Young Lions have been paired with Italy, Israel and the Swiss. They take on Israel at Chesterfield on May 4 and then face Italy at Walsall on May 7 before their New York date.

Millers chief Paul Warne will be one of many interested observers and says it is good that the national team gets out of the capital and into the provinces.

He told the Advertiser: "I think it's great when England teams play away from London because it always shows how much interest there is in the national team when they do.

"Yorkshire is a real hotbed for sport and for football, everyone loves watching sport in this county. We've had a few international games here now and they've been really well supported by the local people.

"The size of our ground is perfect for holding international events, the atmosphere is always good."

Wayne Rooney helped make the Euros u17s Finals draw.

Rotherham was chosen alongside Walsall, Chesterfield, St George's Park at Burton, Burton Albion and Loughborough University Stadium as a tournament venue.

Some of the players on view will be stars for their senior national sides in the not too distant future.

Chairman Tony Stewart added: “It is not just about football. It is about people from all over Europe – fans, players, supporters and UEFA delegates – coming here over the course of two weeks.

“The authorities have seen what we have done here in Rotherham and how we’ve handled previous international games.

“We will be recognised not just for football but as a town and that’s good for Rotherham. Indeed, it’s a good news story for Rotherham.”

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