SANDAKAN: Musketeers Football continues to strengthen its efforts in building a more comprehensive grassroots football ecosystem by participating in Scenic Sabah Creatixé (Scenic Innovation Workshop), specifically the Product Development, Commercialisation and Market Readiness Workshop session.
The participation provided exposure to the Musketeers Football management team in aspects of product and service development, commercialisation, and market readiness as part of the academy’s efforts to explore new opportunities within the sports industry.
Musketeers Football President Hardy Pudar said the development of football academies today should not solely focus on training and player development; instead, it needs to view football as an ecosystem that encompasses education, skills, career, family, health, community and leadership.
This approach is applied through the 5Ks of Musketeers, which comprise Sportsmanship, Knowledge and Education, Skills and Career, Family and Health, and Community and Leadership.
“Participation in Scenic Sabah Creatixé is part of our process to see how the experience and expertise developed through the academy can be translated into products and services that hold value for the sports industry,” he said.
In line with the 5K approach, Musketeers Football is currently developing several initiatives with the potential to be expanded into sports industry products and services.
Among them is TamuBola, an AI technology-based grassroots football development and management system focusing on academy management, player development, player digital profiling, progress monitoring and talent identification.
In addition, Football Apprentis is being developed as a practical learning and experiential approach to help participants better understand the football ecosystem, including skills, roles and career opportunities within the industry.
“Musketeers wants to see how football can serve as a platform to open up more opportunities for the younger generation, not just as players, but also in education, technology, management, coaching, sports science, Tvet, Stem and various careers related to the sports industry,” said Hardy.
The workshop, held at the Sandakan Community Hall, was attended by Hardy alongside Hyda, Brandon and two industrial training intern students from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Musketeers Football views participation in programmes like Scenic Sabah Creatixé as a vital step in building organisational capacity and exploring new models that connect grassroots football with innovation, education, skills and industry opportunities.
Guided by the approach “More Than Football”, Musketeers aims to develop an ecosystem that not only produces football players, but also opens up avenues for human development and future opportunities through the sports industry.