THE Darlington Football Stadium will play host to its first Under-19s international when England taken on Belgium in a friendly on Tuesday, September 6, writes Lee Hall.

The Football Association have chosen Quakers' two-year-old home as the venue in which Martin Hunter's side will begin their preparations ahead of UEFA Friendly Tournament in October.

Previously, at Feethams in 2002, the club hosted an Under-16s tournament involving England, Spain, Germany and Holland.

A year later the then Reynolds Arena staged an England National Game XI against Belgium Under-20s.

In the same week that Darlington unveiled a new state-of-the-art big screen at their 25,000 capacity home, chairman Stewart Davies believes the FA's decision reflects the recent progress which has been made by the club.

He said: "We're delighted to be hosting the England Under-19 squad and we're hoping for a big crowd to welcome Martin Hunter and his side to the stadium. This is a fantastic opportunity for Darlington fans to witness international football in our great new stadium and I hope everyone will get behind England.

"Being chosen by the Football Association to host this match is fantastic recognition of the work that everyone at the club has undertaken to make our stadium one of the best sporting arenas in the Football League."

Tickets will go on sale shortly and fans can visit TheFA.com and www.darlingtonfc.co.uk for further information. Tickets will be £3 for adults in advance (£5 on the day) and £1 for children (U16) and OAPs.