We seem to be concentrating our many efforts on education so to start the new year off we have decided to put our funds towards the ‘P’ in our name – Play!

Last Sunday heralded the start of the new youth football tournament in Siem Reap and Harnessing Opportunities through Play and Education are wholeheartedly supporting it. Bringing together a whole selection of youth from various organisations will see an active Sunday league every week until the 21st of March concluding the winning team. Goal posts made by the Iron Workshop have been funded by us and helps two causes in one go!

This all came about when Gary first came to Siem Reap for a month in January 2009 to volunteer as a coach at the Sangkheum centre and whilst here he met several people from other children centres who expressed an interest in him coming back for a longer period to set up an organised league for them. So he did! In his own words he explains:-

“I was looking for something to do for these 6 months and perhaps yearly from now onwards and this seemed like a good idea. The idea is that with a league system the children learn to be part of a team and can get to play regardless of gender or ability, this is definitely not a win at all cost type league or any kind of talent spotting opportunity, just a chance for children to get to play the game in a competitive, safe, structured and fun environment. We have 3 age groups – under 11′s, 6 teams, under 14′s, 10 teams and under 17′s, 6 teams. We are keen for this to evolve into something that can be locally run by Khmer staff from the Centres and I am keen to train up assistant coaches, referees and administrators to make this happen. We are also using local businesses for our equipment; goals are being made at a local workshop, nets from re-cycled plastic, field from a local land owner etc. I am level 2 F.A. Coach and have coached in Schools in the U.K. and United States as well as working for local Government in the U.K. as a Rural Community Sports Coach setting up programmes similar to this one in rural East Anglia. The rest of the year I work for Camp Sangamon in Vermont U.S.A. as an Assistant Director and Soccer Coach.”

Sangkheum football team

The Centres who are taking part are -Sangkhuem Center for Children, Self Help Community Center (SHCC), Grace House, Global Child, New Hope, Angali, Green Gecko and ACE School.

Chamroeun from Sangkheum Center will blog the results over the next few weeks and results and fixtures can be found here…. Next Chamroeun starts his blog with an introduction to football how the Sangkheum team got involved…

….Football is the most popularity sport all around the world. As well as in Sangkheum Center for Children football is the most popular and funs game for the Children. The Sangkheum Center has set up the football program since the beginning of the Center started 2001. Through this program we have been given a good opportunity to the disadvantages children living around Pouk District to have a chance to play and also to learn about the physical education.
In the 2006 The Sangkheum Football program has given opportunity to 16 young adults traveled to Norway for the Norway Cup. They all very exited and enjoyed themselves with the new world and atmosphere. Since then, the Sangkheum FC has also develop their own capacity to set up a girl team as well as a boy team. The Sangkheum FC both girl and boy team have been participated in the Football Youth tournaments in Siem Reap 2007-2008 and the also participated with the tournament in Phnom Penh which organized by the Star Fish foundation. In 2008-2009 through this result the Sangkheum Center Directional team have sent 2 Educators and 4 young adults ( 3 boys 1 girl)  to trained as a coach with SALT Academy in Battambong and one girl from the team have been trained by the FIFA expert,  then she was recommended to be part of a girl National team for Football federation Cambodia. She has been sent to play as a friendship in Loa.

Currently, we have 85 children participating in the Sangkheum Football program and get train by one of our young adult who get trained  FIFA D license from SALT Academy  in Battambong. There are 2 girls teams age Under 14 and Under 16 and there are 3 boy teams Age under 12, Under 14, Under 16. The training schedule is from Monday-Friday 5.00-6.00pm.  In every 3 months we set up a game to play with some of the organizations in Siem Reap.

On the 17th of January Sangkheum Center for Children took part on a football Legue. Boys and girls from different organizations around Siem Reap to play football against each other for the next ten weeks every Sunday. In this first week, Sangkheum Center participated with several teams with 45 children under 14 years. The children enjoyed the afternoon playing football, cheering and supporting each other from the sidelines. We won three of four games and the atmosphere was very joyful. We are looking forward to the next matches on the 31st of January 2010.

MORE TO COME NEXT WEEK…