launch sport for all
Globalteer to launch “sport for all” following success of Siem Reap Soccer League
Globalteer is set to launch a year-round sports programme in Siem Reap, Cambodia following the huge success of its junior soccer League, which is now enjoyed by 450 players in 32 teams from 15 community projects, schools and NGOs.
The Soccer league has also provided an opportunity for sports-mad Globalteer volunteers to contribute to their chosen teams and socialise with the players, staff and supporters every week.
Sport is not well taught in Cambodian schools, but the Globalteer soccer league has helped teach hundreds of Siem Reap’s children and young adults the value of teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship. By extending the programme to the full year Globalteer hopes to increase the positive impact that team sports can have on young people’s lives.
The soccer league currently runs from October to the end of March, taking advantage of the “cooler” drier weather that prevails at this time of year. Running a football programme outside of these months would not be possible due to the excessive heat and heavy rains that Cambodia can experience between April and October.
The new extended programme will focus initially on volleyball, which is considered by many to be the national sport of Cambodia. It has simple rules that virtually every child understands, and is less strenuous than football, making it perfect for the hotter months.
A new venue has already been identified with covered courts, providing shade from scorching Cambodian sun which can push daily temperatures up into the 40s Centigrade or 100s Fahrenheit during April and May. The courts will also be sheltered from the monsoon rains that reach their peak from August onwards, thus reducing the risk of hearing those dreaded words “Rain stopped play”.
Last weekend a pilot volleyball tournament took place in Siem Reap, under the expert eye of Gary Hodder, founder-organiser of the
Siem Reap Junior Soccer League which has been running for the last three years. Four teams took part in the competition which produced some great volleyball and very close games, and left organisers with no doubt that volleyball should be a permanent fixture on the Globalteer Sports calendar.
Volleyball is due to start by July 2012, and soccer will continue on a monthly basis until the full season starts again in October.
If you would like to find out more about volunteering with children in Cambodia, and even get involved in out new sports programme, please visit our
Cambodia Children's project page.