25 November 2009
As part of the Sheffield United Masters Team’s trip to
Asia for this year’s EPL Masters Football Malaysia Cup (with shirts
sponsored by Capita Symonds), Blades Academy Director Ron Reid and
the legendary squad have embarked on a community training programme
tour of Vietnam and Malaysia.
The footballing journey was run in conjunction with Sheffield
United partners the GAC Group, Capita Symonds, ‘Welcome to
Yorkshire’ and Macron. The project provided an opportunity to
support a number of grassroots football projects in a diverse range
of communities in an area where English football enjoys a massive
following.
The response from the youngsters, teachers and local coaches has been overwhelming
Mike Farnan, executive director at Sheffield United explained:
“Sheffield United has a track record for supporting community
projects back home. With the help of our partners we wanted to take
this approach to Asia by supporting grassroots football in Vietnam
and Malaysia. The response from the youngsters, teachers and local
coaches has been overwhelming.”
The coaching tour kicked-off at the Vietnam My Dingh National
Stadium, where Ron Reid and Blades Community Development Manager
Mark Todd put the Vietnamese Hanoi FC Under-15 team through their
paces during a two hour training programme.
The following day saw Reid and Todd host a training session at
the Vietnam National Coaching Complex with Under-11 and Under-13
squads from the local junior club Viettel FC. Former England and
Blades goalkeeper Alan Hodgkinson MBE made a guest appearance,
supporting Alan Wright and Sasa Ilic in providing the eager group
of youngsters with a masterclass in football skills and training
exercises. ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ goodie bags were also awarded by
the legends to star pupils.
One of the highlights of the visit saw the Sheffield United
coaches and Masters Team greeted by over 100 children in Malaysia a
few days later. The training session was hosted at the Royal
Selangor, which is landmark location in Kuala Lumpur. This
grassroots activity was organised by the GAC Group, as part of a
reward scheme for under-privileged children from Malaysia.
The Masters Team completed their Malaysia leg of the community
tour with a visit to the Alice Smith International School. This was
to support the not-for-profit international primary and secondary
school that serve the expatriate community of Kuala Lumpur.
Ron Reid commented: “This has been a truly rewarding experience
for me and all the players. Overcoming the communication barrier
proves that football is a universal language. The youngsters all
share an amazing enthusiasm for football and were generally excited
to be given the opportunity to learn more about the game. We hope
our short stay in Asia will have a lasting effect on grassroots
football in Asia.”