Manchester is already due to stage the senior edition of the event.

 

The tournament in Edinburgh, which for the first time will feature men and women's teams, will be held at the National Hockey Academy at Peffermill (pictured). 

 

The facility, owned by the University of Edinburgh, houses two world-class astroturf waterbased pitches with grandstand seating. 
 
Jacky Burnett, the president of Scottish Hockey, said: “This is a great example of how partnership working is paying dividends in attracting world-class sporting events to Scotland.

 

"Significant funding from UK Sport, first-class facilities at the University of Edinburgh combined with Scottish Hockey’s proven track record in hosting international events will ensure that the EuroHockey Youth Nations Championships in 2007 are an unrivalled success.”
 
Held biennially, the EuroHockey Youth Nations Championships are recognised as the key youth event in the European hockey calendar. 

 

The draw for the tournament will see the top eight  teams compete in each of the men’s and women’s Championships, with representation from 10 different countries. 

 

For Scotland’s women the tournament marks their return to the top flight after securing promotion by winning the Trophy division in Lithuania in 2005. 

 

While the men, who finished sixth in the competition in 2005, have the benefit of two British junior internationals in the team. 

 

Kelburne duo Kenny Bain and Gordon McIntyre were part of the GB squad who won silver at the Australian Youth Olympics in Sydney earlier this month.
 
Callum McLeod, the performance manager for Scottish Hockey, said: “The EuroHockey Youth Nations Championship gives hockey’s talented young players exposure to competitive tournament conditions at an early age and some of the players who will compete in Edinburgh this year will be among the European stars of the future.”
 
Scottish Hockey has appointed Scottish Hockey Union honorary member and FIH Hockey Rules Board Member Evlyn Raistrick as the chair of the Organising Committee. 

 

The first matches will be played on Monday July 9. 

 

It is the second major event Edinburgh has been awarded recently as in November it won the right to host the 2008 World Cross Country Championships.