England team guide

England have reached four of the last seven UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship finals and, with fellow heavyweights France and Germany absent, will be keen to add to their solitary win in 2009.

England made serene progress to the Norway finals, improving with every game in the elite round having been given a bye through the initial stage. After narrow victories over Denmark and Serbia they cut loose against Finland in a repeat of the 2013 semi-final, scoring five unanswered goals.

It sealed a return to what England could be forgiven for thinking is their rightful place – only Germany can better their tally of ten final tournaments. Semi-finalists in 2002 and 2003, the Three Lions reached three finals in four years, finishing runners-up in 2007 and 2010 either side of their 2009 triumph – when they beat Sweden in the Belarus showpiece. They lost out in extra time to France in last season's final.

Mo Marley, the coach at this level for the last 13 years, hands over the reins to Brent Hills for Norway as she prepares England for August's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. There is also a much-changed playing lineup – between them the final squad made a solitary start in qualifying (Sarah Mayling).

Route to finals
Elite round: 1-0 Denmark, 2-0 Serbia, 5-0 Finland (Group 6 winners)
Top scorer: Natasha Jane Flint, Katie Zelem, Bethany Mead (2)

Key players
Kirstie Levell (Everton LFC), Carla Humphrey (Arsenal LFC, forward), Coral-Jade Haines (Birmingham City LFC, forward), Sarah Mayling (Aston Villa FC, forward)

Manager: Brent Hills
Date of birth: 03/11/1953
Coaching career: England women (assistant), England women's U21/U23, England women (interim), England women's U19 (interim)

Appointed the FA's head of women's elite development at the end of last year, Hills has been with England's governing body since 2002. He was Hope Powell's assistant with the senior women's team, and coached the U21 team (which became the U23s in 2008) before a short stint as Powell's temporary replacement at the end of 2013 – under him, England won four FIFA Women's World Cup qualifiers out of four without conceding.

A right-back at amateur level, Hills trained as a PE teacher and lectured in Sports and Exercise Science at London South Bank University and Southwark College, where he started the first English female college football academy in 1998. He will make his women's U19 bow in Norway as Marley prepares for the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship record
2012/13: runners-up
2011/12: group stage
2010/11: did not qualify
2009/10: runners-up
2008/09: winners
2007/08: group stage
2006/07: runners-up
2005/06: did not qualify
2004/05: group stage (sixth)
2003/04: did not qualify
2002/03: semi-finals
2001/02: semi-finals

Honours in other UEFA women's competitions
UEFA European Women's Championship
Runners-up: 2009