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Bremner, whose childhood nickname was 'Brock', attended St Mary's Primary School, which was "literally round the corner" from the family's home, till he was eleven.{{sfn|Harrison|2010|p=8}} He played for the school's [[association football|football]] team from the age of nine.{{sfn|Harrison|2010|p=8}} In 1954, aged eleven, he left St Mary's and went to [[St Modan's High School]], also near his home, and continued to develop as a footballer.{{sfn|Bale|1998|p=5}} Even as a boy, Bremner exhibited the sort of skill and determination that would become the hallmark of his professional career.{{sfn|Harrison|2010|p=8}} He joined a local club called Gowanhill United when he was thirteen and soon earned a place in its under-21 team. Gowanhill's home ground was a piece of spare land called Shell Park which was between Raploch and the barracks.<ref name="Gowan"/>
In November 1957, Bremner was one of two St Modan's boys given a trial for the Stirling Schoolboys County team. He was mentioned in a notice that appeared in the ''[[Edinburgh Evening News]]'' issue of 15 November 1957. He was selected to play for the county and his performances in those matches led to selection for Scotland Schoolboys. He made his international debut, aged fifteen, against Northern Ireland Schoolboys at [[Windsor Park]] on 28 March 1958. The match, played under floodlights, ended in a 2–2 draw.<ref name="School">{{cite web |url=https://collections.stir.ac.uk/scotlandschoolboys/ |title=Scotland Schoolboys |work=Fae Raploch to Elland Road |publisher=University of Stirling |access-date=18 August 2024}}</ref>
Bremner represented Scotland Schoolboys.{{when|date=August 2024}}{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2011|p=14}} His father forbade him joining [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] as he did not want him involved in the [[Old Firm|religion-based rivalry]] with [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]].{{citation needed|date=August 2024}} ▼
Bremner played in three more matches for Scotland Schoolboys in the spring of 1958. His second appearance was against Wales Schoolboys at [[Somerton Park]] on 4 April, and this also ended 2–2. Next, on 26 April, Bremner made his first of many visits to [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], playing against England Schoolboys, whose team included [[Terry Venables]], [[Phil Chinall]], and [[Ronnie Boyce]]. According to the ''[[The Evening News (London newspaper)|Evening News]]'', there was a crowd of over 90,000. England Schoolboys won 3–1 but Bremner, playing at [[inside left]] was praised for his quick through-ball passing and for his "remarkable stamina".<ref name="School"/> He was interviewed by the ''[[News Chronicle]]'' after the match and surprised the reporter by saying that he wanted to join an English club, because "English football is faster". Bremner added that, if he didn't become a professional footballer, his choice of career would be [[glazier]].<ref name="School"/> Bremner's last match for Scotland Schoolboys was on 18 May, a return against England Schoolboys at [[Ibrox Stadium]]. It ended in a 2–2 draw and Bremner again received praise for his efforts. The ''News Chronicle'' said the midfield tussle between Venables and the "wee but tough Willie Bremner was one of the highlights".<ref name="School"/>
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Bremner had trials with [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] and [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]], but they both rejected him because of his height, 5 feet 5 inches, saying that he was too short.<ref name="NFM"/> He was invited to join [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] by team manager [[Bill Lambton]] in early 1959, soon after his 16th birthday;{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2011|p=16}} Lambton had recently signed [[Don Revie]] from [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]].{{sfn|Sutcliffe|2011|p=52}}
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