AN INTERNATIONAL football team is set to touch down in East Lothian this weekend as part of their preparations for a prestigious tournament.

Rwanda, who are ranked 78th in the world by FIFA, arrive in the Garden County on Sunday and will be based at Innerwick for their fortnight-long stay.

The visit comes on the heels of a link being formed between the county and the African country, with Rwandan athletes using East Lothian as a training camp before last year’s Commonwealth Games.

Since then, A Minute of Agreement, signed by the High Commissioner of Rwanda for the United Kingdom, and Willie Innes, leader of East Lothian Council, has been developed to strengthen the sporting relationship between the two.

In March, a delegation from East Lothian Council, along with partners at sportscotland, visited Rwanda to explore further connections and opportunities.

Now, a group of 40 – made up of players, coaches, officials and representatives of Rwandan media – are making the trip.

The team are managed by Northern Irishman Johnny McKinstry, who previously managed Sierra Leone, and are gearing up for the African Nations Championship next January.

He told the Courier: “It’s a great opportunity to come across into a slightly different environment and get the players out of their comfort zone a bit.

“Both in terms of team training, it is going to be good, and also playing against a different style of opposition.

“The local club sides we will be playing against will play a slightly different format to some of the African teams.

“That’s always good in terms of developing our own overall playing style but also just being based together.

“Normally, the players are used to being based in hotels when we play, with one or two people to a room.

“The set-up that we are going to have in East Lothian is going to be a bit different with team bonding as well.” The team will train on a daily basis at Meadowmill Sports Centre and also contest friendly matches, with a match against Celtic already confirmed.

The team manager stressed the trip was not just about football, though, saying: “During the trip, we are going to be trying to mix it up a bit.

“We are obviously going to be training every day.

“We have, hopefully, four matches and we’ve got some of them confirmed, with some of them still to be confirmed by the guys at the Scottish FA and East Lothian Council, who are assisting in the arrangements.

“We’re also going to try to get the boys away from football a bit and do some cultural stuff and visit local areas.

“Footballers can find themselves in a little bit of a bubble. In some ways we create that bubble so they are focused and outside distractions do not influence their performance too much.

“At the same time, when it is possible, it is good to get them to get their heads up and look around and see where they are.

“Too often we travel to different countries and the only things we see are the airport, the hotel and the stadium.

“We are in Scotland for 16 days and there will be opportunities to see various parts of Scotland and various different activities, whether that be the civic reception, traditional events or just local areas.” Councillor Tim Day, the local authority’s spokesman for community wellbeing, was looking forward to the visit.

He said: “Rwanda is an amazing place and the opportunities for people to participate and excel in sport are very evident.

“Rwanda is keen to develop strong sporting structures and pathways and East Lothian can play a major part in supporting this.

“This is an exciting new partnership and I am particularly pleased to welcome the national football team for a two-week training camp.

“This is fantastic for all involved and one of the first examples of this exciting partnership.” A civic reception is planned for Haddington Town House next Friday (August 7) at 7.30pm.

The visit will be wrapped up with a party at Hallhill on August 14, with Dunbar Community Council putting £150 towards the event.