07 July 2016

Singapore, 7 July 2016 – StarHub and Astro will be offering young and promising footballers the chance of a lifetime to train with one of the best football clubs in Europe. Called Astro Kem Bola (“football camp” in Bahasa Melayu), the sports outreach programme is open to Singaporean boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 12 years old and aims to give student athletes the opportunity to experience professional football at the highest level.

Organised by Astro Kasih and supported by StarHub and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), this is the first time that Astro Kem Bola will be held in Singapore. Now in its fifth edition, the programme consists of three phases; open trials in Singapore and Malaysia (phase 1); an advanced training camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the 64 best participants (phase 2); and an overseas training stint with a professional football club in Europe for the final 32 (phase 3). The European club will be announced at a later date. Astro Kasih is the corporate social responsibility arm of Malaysia-based integrated consumer media entertainment group Astro.

For the Singapore leg of the programme, StarHub will be raising awareness of Kem Bola through its in-house SuperSports channels as well as its social media presence. FAS will also be heavily involved in the grassroots outreach to schools and clubs.

“Astro Kasih has been doing a fantastic job of running Astro Kem Bola and we are proud to work with them and FAS to bring this meaningful programme to young Singaporean footballers for the first time ever. Kem Bola is all about empowerment and we want to support our brightest footballing talents in following their passions,” said Ms Lee Soo Hui, Head of Media Business Unit, StarHub. “In addition, we want to give them a well-rounded football education which includes the technical aspect as well as instilling values such as sportsmanship, discipline, respect and resilience.”

“Through the Astro Kem Bola programme, we have seen many talented kids who grew into the well-rounded athletes, captaining the Malaysian national team in international friendly matches. We are privileged to be able to play a role in their development and look forward to do the same for the youth of Singapore and other ASEAN countries,” said Datuk David Michael Yap, Vice President of Community Affairs at Astro.

“The objective of Astro Kem Bola is in line with FAS and S. League's objective in providing more opportunities for youths to play football and providing them the platform to play and learn the game in a professional way and building a foundation towards unearthing future talents,” said Lim Chin, CEO of S. League.

Phase 1 will take place on 9 and 10 July 2016 in Jalan Besar Stadium where the coaches will assess the student athletes’ fundamental skills such as passing, dribbling, attacking, defending and shooting as well as small-sided matches.

The top 64 participants (32 boys and 32 girls) will then progress to Phase 2 for a five-day residential Advanced Training Camp in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At the camp, participants will undergo intensive football drills, focusing on teamwork, positioning and strategic play as well as various classroom activities on health and nutrition.

Phase 3 will see the best 32 young footballers (16 boys and 16 girls) sent for a 10-day Overseas Training Programme in Europe. The participants will take part in an immersive exchange programme which includes training under the local academy coaches, attending a live professional football match as well as a series of friendly matches against local youth sides.

Astro Kem Bola is organised by Astro Kasih and 1MCC Sports Sdn Bhd. To date, a total of 11,000 children have participated in the programme since its inception in 2012. In the past, the Overseas Training Programmes have been conducted with clubs such as Cardiff City Football Club and West Ham United Football Club.

Interested participants can register online at www.astrokasih.org/kembola to attend the open trials in Jalan Besar Stadium. Walk-in registration will be subject to availability of slots.