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| SHELLITO …coaching director. |
For the Kota Kinabalu base, Chelsea FC Soccer School Sabah will be collaborating with the The Association of Ex Students of La Salle and Sacred Heart. All young players aged between eight and 16 years old are invited to join the Soccer School. This is the latest development in the club’s efforts to support and develop grassroots football in the region through the Here To Play, Here To Stay scheme. Chelsea will visit the region this summer during the pre-season tour.
They will face the Malaysian XI on July 21 (Sunday) at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The new school in Sabah will provide a structured introduction to the game and offer talented players an opportunity to further their football education in a two-tiered development system. Chelsea defender David Luiz welcomed the latest Chelsea FC Soccer School: “Chelsea Soccer Schools give children of all abilities the chance to train on outstanding facilities and receive high-quality coaching.
We are delighted that young people in Sabah will be able to enjoy themselves, get a head start in the game and have fun making new friends and learning new skills.” Ken Shellito, coaching director of the Chelsea FC Soccer School in Sabah, said: “It is great to have wonderful partners supporting our programmes and understanding the importance of youth development.
Through the Chelsea FC Soccer School Sabah, footballers from the area will be given the best possible start in the game.” The Chelsea FC Soccer School is managed by Catatan Borneo Sdn Bhd. The school will be led by Shellito, former Chelsea FC player and manager, as coaching director. He will work alongside former Sabah team captain Tuan Haji Shahriman Abdullah, who led the Sabahawks to their Super League promotion in 2009 as Team Manager cum Sabah Football Association (SAFA) Treasurer.
Former national playmaker once dubbed South East Asia’s best midfielder, Yap Wai Loon, former national striker SuharminYusof, ex Rhino and speedy forward Harun Laban, former Sabah semi-pro team captain Ahman Omar Khan, former Borneo Cup player and State assistant coach Azah Ezrein, SM La Salle teachers Mohd Kamal Kakom Abdullah@Zatin and Osman Mehat are also involved in the programme as coaches.
The school will cater for kids from Kota Kinabalu and surrounding areas and there are plans in place to expand it into other districts within Sabah in the near future. According to Shellito who once guided the Sabah Rhinos back in 1998 (FA Cup runners-up and Malaysia Cup semi-finalists), CFCSS Sabah aims to recruit more than 1,000 aspiring footballers statewide within two years.
Shellito added: “We just want to assist SAFA in developing football from the grassroots level in the State. It is my wish to see CFCSS Sabah act as a talent provider for SAFA and Malaysia as a whole.” The Chelsea FC Soccer School Sabah will receive support and generous sponsorship from Chan and Shahriman Architect, Halim, Shahriman and Associates, Sabaland Construction Sdn Bhd, Best Delight Travel and Tours, Adidas Malaysia and Reena Enterprise.
