Tottenham Hotspur Academy Holds Coaching Clinics For Malaysian Students

PETALING JAYA (Selangor), May 25 (Bernama) -- The English Premier League (EPL) team, Tottenham Hotspur's visit to Malaysia will also benefit the country's grassroots-level football and its development. Besides treating their fans to a match with a Malaysian Selection at Shah Alam Stadium on Wednesday, the North London club is currently conducting coaching clinics for secondary school students as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR). The exciting sensation for the young participants is the club's Head Global Coach, Andy Rogers, one of the "magicians" behind the development of superstars like Harry Kane and Gareth Bale at White Hart Lane, and who is heading the clinic. "We share the knowledge we practise in the United Kingdom at our football academy and engage with local coaches here to help them understand the way they can help football development here. We also try to develop the players. "We had around 90 players yesterday and 80 today. It's a great opportunity for us to work closely with the coaches and players here. "We have been doing this CSR programme for 10 years and probably have created about 200,000 opportunities for young players globally," Rogers told reporters at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) training ground in Kelana Jaya, here, Monday. Rogers who has been with Spurs for 14 years, together with three other coaches from the club are conducting the clinics which started Sunday and will go until Saturday, for students from different schools each day. A local coach, Yazid Jamni from SMK Seri Perkasa in Hutan Melintang, Perak said the coaches gave priority to developing each individual player's skills during the clinics, compared to the local style of focusing on a group. "Hence, this is a very good opportunity for the participating students, especially those from the rural areas, like my own students," said the 45-year-old teacher. Yazid also noticed that the participants became dispirited fast, besides getting tired easily during the two-hour session. Sallehudin Othman, 14, a student from the same school, said it was a golden opportunity for him to learn the techniques and skills from the EPL club coaches. "I hope to make the best use of what I have learned here towards becoming a national footballer in 10 years' time," said the teenager who aims to play for the Malaysian Super League side Perak or Johor Darul Ta'zim. The Spurs players are expected to arrive early Tuesday morning after winning their final EPL match against Everton 1-0 last night, for a pre-season friendly against the Malaysian Selection on Wednesday. -- BERNAMA