The Star Online: Metro: South & East

Coaching clinic in Malacca
Bringing cheer to children in paediatrics ward
Clean water for Sabah’s poorest villages

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 07:59 PM PDT

MALACCA: As part of their 11-day national tour, the Malaysian-owned Cardiff City Football Club (CCFC) in the hope of putting the country on the world junior football league conducted a half-day football coaching clinic for 140 players between the ages of nine and 14 years in Malacca, recently.

Held at the Sri Kota Sports School Complex in Ayer Leleh, the clinic was supervised and basic sessions conducted by eight CCFC coaches headed by Marc Cahill. The other coaches included Scott Young, Steve Ellis, Kevin Cooper, Micheal Hayward, Joel Hutton, Matthew Hollan and Paul Cochlin. They were assisted by several local coaches led by Tan Ching Yang, chairman of the state Kelab Anak Malaysia (KAM).

CCFC chairman Datuk Chan Tien Ghee who succeeded Peter Risdale in the middle of the year said the aim of the football clinics earlier held in Kelantan, Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Kedah and Selangor, was to give youngsters very keen on football to be exposed to an organised and structured football system apart from giving an insight to a British club's development training programme

Tien Ghee said "The CCFC will open its 1Malaysia Cardiff City (1MCC) Development Centre in Putrajaya soon and will cater for players in three age groups - Under 12, 14 and 16. The centre will be committed towards development at grassroots. Until and unless, the juniors are equipped with the basic skills, it will be difficult to build a strong national team. The Putrajaya project is something modest and we hope to realise our vision in the coming years towards placing Malaysia on the world junior football front.

"We hope to adopt a 'no borders' mentality where our local players can compete with talents from around the world so that they can gain better exposure.

"Also it will spell a way of getting players from overseas to get a taste of playing here in the country. Getting junior potentials from abroad over here will require offering them additional incentives but it will be worth it for the betterment of the overall national footballing standard and level of play".

Tien Ghee further noted that CCFC a premier Welsh outfit also planned to enhance their presence in the country by setting up satellite centres in Kelantan, Johor, Pahang and Malacca sometime early next year. CCFC are currently playing in the Championship League (Division Two) under the purview of the English FA.

According to KAM's Ching Yang, the local clinic was more grassroot oriented than academy styled. Among the various disciplines and drills imparted included ball control, dribbling, passing and receiving as well as anticipation and teamwork techniques. he added.

"Playing in small sided and individual competitions, all in a fun atmosphere, was also engaged in. The overall goal was to get each and every participant irrespective of age to be involved sportingly while improving confidence, fitness and, of course, their footballling skills amidst sheer enjoyment of the game in general" he added.

Bringing cheer to children in paediatrics ward

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 07:56 PM PDT

AYER KEROH: Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh (PHAK) in their first collaborative effort with Starbucks Dataran Pahlawan brought cheers to the children who were warded in the hospital.

'Playtime with Starbucks', a programme that has been ongoing since early June, saw the crew from the coffee specialist and PHAK staff spending quality time with the children, and entertaining them with songs, balloon sculpturing and more.

The children, accompanied by their family members were invited to join in the 'Playtime' singing along to nursery songs, playing with balloon sculptures and painting colouring pages. Starbucks Dataran Pahlawan manager Thomas Liu said that the 'Playtime' initiative was significant for Starbucks as they put strong emphasis in giving back to the community. Liu also encouraged his staff to spend quality time with the children in the ward. "I'm really pleased that we are able to bring these little elements of joy to the young children just when they need it the most", he added.

The evenings ended with a treat of tea and muffins from Starbucks.

Parents were overjoyed by the initiative from PHAK and Starbucks in entertaining the children.

"My daughter was delighted with the lovely sculptured balloons that she had received from the Starbucks crew and PHAK staff. Their efforts are commendable and it was really nice seeing the children having fun since they were all feeling a little under the weather and could use some cheering up," commented Toh Kian Chai from Muar.

PHAK's Chief Executive Officer Gan Kong Hoe was most supportive of the play session with the children from the hospital's Paediatrics Ward and was proud to join hands with Starbucks to organize the event. He said, "PHAK strives to be an exemplary private healthcare organization that champions corporate social responsibility works that benefit the community we serve in.

"With Starbucks coming onboard with "Playtime with Starbucks", we hope to achieve the programme's objective to perk up the children and encourage them as they recuperate."

'Playtime' is a regular bi-weekly event projected to run until end of September in hope that more children can receive positive contributions out of the effort.

Clean water for Sabah’s poorest villages

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 07:53 PM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Two of the poorest villages in Sabah now have access to clean water thanks to a community project by a leading global beverage company and a youth development charity body.

All 368 residents in Kg Mandurian Laut and Kg Bambangan Sook in the northern district of Pitas can drink clean waterfollowing the completion of water gravity feed systems which were connected to water sources at the villages recently.

The Coca-Cola Company and Raleigh, a British youth development body, have teamed up since 2006 to assist rural communities to get clean and fresh water through the 'Clean Water for Communities' project.

Many villagers in the remote interior of Sabah do not have the privilege of tap water, often depending on the nearest water source such as rivers and lakes for water.

The Clean Water for Communities project has contributed to the improvement in the quality of life for these communities by installing the water gravity feed systems, built by international teams of young Raleigh volunteers, into the village directly.

Almost 13,000 people in 22 villages have benefited from the project since the programme began.

"Water is at the very core of what The Coca-Cola Company does and the responsible use of that resource is very important to us.

"By providing these rural communities with proper water supply we are bringing a lifeline to a sustainable community and reducing the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation," said Coca-Cola Malaysia public affairs and communications director Mohamed Kadri Mohamed Taib.

Raleigh, has been a partner of The Coca-Cola Company in Malaysia managing the Clean Water For Communities project to make it a success.

"Our programmes are proven to raise the self-esteem and develop adaptability by putting together young people from all sorts of backgrounds to work together in challenging conditions," said Raleigh Borneo's Country director Mac McCarthy.

"Besides learning leadership skills and team work , the young people on our expeditions are also encouraged to discover their own strengths and weaknesses," he said.

In 2010, The Coca-Cola Company pledged an additional US$47,000 (RM148,708) to the project for another two years, bringing the total funding to date to RM386,008.

The additional funding will allow 23 communities to have access to clean water by the end of 2011 through the completion of more water projects for rural communities in Sabah's interior.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Selasa, 6 September 2011