Youth Soccer Program
From Kicking Coconuts to League Competition
From Coconuts to Champions: How a Village Dream Became a Reality
Whether you call it football or soccer, kids in our village love it. With a coconut serving as their ball and any patch of rocky ground as their field they’d play with unwavering enthusiasm. Barefoot and brave, they’d often return home with sore feet. Their dream, however, was to one day play in proper uniforms and shoes, with a real soccer ball and the roar of a cheering crowd in a stadium.
Thanks to the generosity of Tim Sykes and other donors, in 2017 the Cambodian Village Fund and community leaders opened the Tim Sykes Stadium, complete with floodlights and artificial turf. It quickly became a source of great pride for all the villages in Prey Touch Commune.
However, the kids still needed uniforms, shoes, balls, practice fields, instruction on game rules and, of course, some team competition.
With additional donations, we were able to work with a Cambodian nonprofit organization, the Sports and Leadership Training Academy, to conduct workshops for teachers and students on rules, training, and how to form a soccer league. The Tim League was born. Soon we had six primary school teams.
Some American students got in on the game too. Students and teachers from San Diego’s Francis Parker School joined us on a Cambodia trip and decided they would sponsor the soccer program by providing practice fields, uniforms and equipment for the primary school teams.
Next Challenge: Sustainability
Our goal is to make the soccer league self-sustaining. Local officials established a council to oversee the stadium and soccer league. To cover stadium costs for maintenance, electricity, new nets and artificial turf replacement every five to seven years, the council established a charge for each stadium use – about $3 – $4 for student teams. Sounds small but it helps supplement donated funds so these kids have a safe place to practice, compete and learn about leadership, teamwork, decision-making, and sportsmanship – and sportswomanship – while developing agility and coordination.
Who knows, one day a great soccer player may come from Prey Touch Commune.
Will you join our team?
The families in rural Cambodia are very poor. Many cannot afford to buy uniforms for their children. Most schools have very limited resources for equipment like balls and nets. But maybe it’s within your reach to join us by supporting our youth football program.
Thank you!
On behalf of the kids, the school staff, the villages and our future Prey Touch Commune soccer stars, we thank you in advance for your generosity!