Etoile FC Soccer Training

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By Daniel Lee. Tan Chin Tuan Foundation

On 17 June (Thursday), I went with two other colleagues from the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation to Queenstown Stadium to assist with a YARP activity. There, we met professional football players from the French Etoile Football Club. At around 10 am, children from Sunbeam Place, a shelter home for children from broken or abusive families- arrived at the stadium. Several of them were very energetic, running laps around the track even before the activity had started.

After they had settled down, they had the privilege of being coached by the professional French footballers. They were lined up on the field and trained to receive the soccer ball when passed to them, and to score goals thereafter. Several of the children even volunteered to be goalkeepers to assist with the training. One or two professional players also taught certain other football skills to some of the children, including headers and controlled passing.

While it was difficult for the children to perform the moves correctly as they lacked the strength and limb-power of the professionals, they did nonetheless enjoy themselves thoroughly. A handful of them were so engrossed in the training that they initially refused to break for snacks and water, electing instead to continue playing on the field.

After the break, the players initiated a match between two groups of children. This allowed the children to play and to put their acquired skills into practice. Many found the match to be exhilarating, and expressed their desire to stay and play on even when they were asked to stop for lunch. After that, they had the opportunity of posing for photographs with the players and the football club’s president.

All in all, most of them had immeasurable fun during this activity. I was able to interact with them during their lunch break, and learned a great deal about their lives and day-to-day activities by chatting with them. As the activity came to a close, I was granted one last memorable scene: a group of children waving farewell and shouting, “Bye, Brother Daniel!”