The Scottish Schools’ Football Association is to undertake its most ambitious project yet by sending the national schools’ under-16s squad to Paraguay for a 16-team international tournament in March.

The invitation has been passed on to the SSFA by the Scottish Football Association, who could not take it up. It will be the first time the SSFA has sent a team as far as South America: indeed, it is thought that no other sport in Scotland has sent a national team so far at such a young age.

The SSFA intends to take a squad of 18 players and will also have a doctor and a physiotherapist in their party.

“This represents an outstanding opportunity for the boys,” says the under-16s’ coach, Stewart Neilson, who is head of physical education at Banff Academy, “not only to broaden their football education by playing against the best in the world but also to broaden their life experience.

“We will be different from other nations in that they will be sending professional teams, whereas we have schoolboy players.

“We’ll be asking the organisers about the possibility of also fixing up two or three educational trips for our boys. The other nations will, I expect, be concentrating solely on the football.”

Scotland is in an initial tournament group of four. Depending on the results, the party could be away for almost three weeks.

With the Under-16 squad also due to participate in an international tournament in Ballymena in May, there are concerns about how long the boys will be away from home, especially around exam time.

“The boys’ studies will not be neglected and there will be study sessions for them,” assures Mr Neilson. “Where we fit those in will depend on our game schedule but we intend to have six or seven study sessions in Paraguay.

“We will also be consulting with individual schools to see what the boys require and where they are at in terms of study.

“There will be a party of 25 going and we will by trying to ensure that the teachers that accompany the boys cover as much of the curriculum as possible.”

They are due to leave on March 21, which is in the Easter holidays for many of them. “So I don’t think there will be too much disruption to schoolwork,” says Mr Neilson. All three members of the coaching staff are principal teachers. “Fortunately, we all have understanding headteachers and departments,” he adds, “and there is a budget we can access to provide teaching cover in our absence if necessary.”

It is an all-expenses-paid trip and the SSFA is being thorough in preparations for the event. For some time it has been promoting dietary advice for players and the squad will require inoculations before travelling. “We need to look at things like how humidity and altitude will affect the players,” says Mr Neilson, “as I understand it will still be quite hot there.

“You have to remember that the boys are still very young and we need to look at how they react to travelling such a distance and the possibility of home-sickness.

“We want the boys to come back enriched by their experience. We need to look at sustaining their mental attitude and keeping them active for up to three weeks.”

Something else the players may have to adapt to is what is likely to be a heavy media presence in Paraguay. The games are expected to be screened live on South American television but the squad already has experience of television coverage from their three games in the Victory Shield home international this season.

The under-16 side has had a good run so far this season, winning three and drawing one of their five international games, their only defeat coming at the hands of a strong England side.

Earlier this month, the SSFA held additional trials for players as it sought to make minor alterations to the squad for the challenges that lie ahead this season.

“It has been a good squad to work with and they have had some good results,” says Mr Neilson. “The Paraguay tournament will take things on to a different level. The boys will be coming up against styles of play they are not accustomed to and it will be interesting to see how they cope.”

The coaching staff will also have the chance to learn something by watching the other nations and observing their methods of preparation, says Mr Neilson.

“The South Americans and Asians have a different style to the Europeans and I expect the American teams to be very strong as they have so many players to select from,” he says. “But our boys will get the chance to show that they can play with a bit of flair.”