A CIVIC reception with the mayor of Oslo awaits eight Bayside footballers when they travel to play in the prestigious Norway Cup tournament this weekend.

The mixed team of 2004 and 2005 players will travel to Scandinavia for the competition, which is the world's largest for children and young people aged between 10 and 19.

It began in 1972 and attracts teams from across the world and Bayside will play in the under-13s age group in the week-long competition, which kicks off on Sunday.

They'll pit their wits in a round-robin with five other teams from the host country and as well as the matches themselves, the talented youngsters are set to enjoy a meeting with the city's mayor on arrival and will have the opportunity to take in some matches that are on in Oslo, including a friendly between Tottenham Hotspur and Internazionale.

Coach David Noble said: "This is a separate squad from the famous under-13s team that won the league and cup last year, and is a mixed team of 2004s and 2005s. The Norway Cup has been going for decades and is world-renowned and we got involved with it through Youth Football Scotland (YFS). They are really supportive covering our own festivals and they're open to putting Scottish teams in touch with international ones.

"There are a host of teams going – Dunfermline Athletic Girls' 17s will be there – and we're in the same league as five other Norwegian teams. But we're hoping to arrange friendlies with other international teams while we're there.

"One of the major things is that the girls will get a reception with the mayor of Oslo, which will be a big moment for them. Some former players might come along to the games and there's loads of games on in Oslo that we can go to. They get free passes to museums and music concerts are put on, so it's a week of cultural experiences for them."

He added: "Everybody has got at least one family member coming with them and, as a club, we're very outward looking and willing to fundraise to send teams abroad.

"I hope to improve some parts of my coaching but I'm also interested in things like nutrition that we can tweak within our own set-up. It's a good environment for the girls to play in because it promotes healthy living and skills development and we can build links with international teams.

"Some of the games are even shown live on TV, although I've seen the draft schedule and we're not on it yet! The girls are very excited."