Kota Kinabalu: Some 500 young footballers took part in a three-day football clinic aimed at building teamwork, leadership, discipline and confidence through sport.
The Freedom 250 Sabah Football Clinic Powered by ConocoPhillips, organised as part of the US Embassy’s nationwide Freedom 250 campaign, began on Sept 1 at Fut8 Arena Sembulan, here.
The programme brought together participants aged 8 to 15 from across Kota Kinabalu and featured former United States soccer stars Shannon Boxx, Tony Sanneh and Maren McCrary.
Speaking at the closing ceremony on Thursday, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Ceasar Mandela Malakun urged the young players to take lessons from the clinic beyond the football field.
He said talent was important, but discipline, patience, teamwork and the ability to recover from setbacks were equally vital to success.
“Every accomplished athlete had to begin somewhere. They had to learn the basics, listen to coaches, make mistakes, lose games and then come back and train again,” he said.
Mandela said the qualities developed through sport would also benefit the youngsters in their studies, future careers and relationships with others.
He also described the programme as an example of how people-to-people exchanges could strengthen ties between Malaysia and the United States.
He thanked the US Embassy, ConocoPhillips, the visiting coaches and others involved in making the clinic possible.
The clinic featured three prominent American soccer figures: three-time Olympic gold medallist and World Cup champion Boxx, US National Soccer Hall of Famer and two-time MLS Cup champion Sanneh, and former WUSA professional player and U.S. Soccer youth national team scout McCrary.
The US Embassy said the initiative was designed to use football as a platform for youth development, with emphasis on confidence, resilience and a collaborative mindset.
ConocoPhillips Malaysia president Connor Dunn said the company was proud to support the development of Sabah’s young people through sport, complementing its wider investments in education and STEM initiatives.
