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KUALA LUMPUR (11 March, 2018): Aspiring footballers from the National Football Development Program (NFDP) U13 and U15 squads were rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to learn and speak to legendary Manchester United players, Denis Irwin, David May and Dwight Yorke at the National Sports Council, Bukit Jalil today.
The exclusive coaching clinic organized by adidas Malaysia and Manchester United was in conjunction with the trio’s visit to Malaysia for the club’s popular #ILOVEUNITED tour which included fan events such as the live screening of United’s Premier League home match against Liverpool and autograph session yesterday.
Being part of United’s iconic 1998/99 treble winning squad and having heaps of international experience between the three legends, they conducted basic skill drills, team building exercises and later sat with the 36 youngsters for an intimate session, sharing their footballing experiences and dished out some invaluable advice and knowledge on the game.
As Manchester United’s official kit manufacturer, adidas sees these community events as a way to further connect with their fans by using its global assets to link with grassroots programs around the world.
“We at adidas Malaysia always look to impact the development of our nation’s young talents. We believe that with the proper guidance, coaching and the usage of appropriate football equipments, it can improve the sport at grassroots level,” said Cheng Yik Hoong, Brand Communication and Sports Marketing Manager of adidas Malaysia.
Apart from being NFDP’s official technical partner, adidas Malaysia also supports the careers of some of the countries’ finest young footballers which includes Kedah FA’s breakout star, Akhyar Rashid, JDT’s Syamer Kutty Abba who is currently on loan at Portuguese third tier side Vilaverdense FC and also United States (US) based Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal, who plies his trade with Swope Park Rangers in the United Soccer League (USL).
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NFDP, Safirul Azli Abu Bakar felt that the boys were very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and mingle with such high profile names of international football.
“The lessons these young players can get from this exposure will be extremely useful when they progress in their career. Ex-players such as Denis, David and Dwight can provide constructive insights of the sport especially with all three having played under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson,” explained Safirul.
The NFDP U13 squad will be heading to France in April for a series of friendly matches whilst the U15s’ next assignment will be in Hong Kong for the international youth tournament in March before touring Holland and Germany in May to prepare for the AFF U15 tournament which begins in August.
