Raising Their Game
Training Tour to Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy in Pahang, Malaysia
Written By
Ryan Hakim Rickit
Secondary 3
“Malaysia Boleh!” This was a lesson in football from in our recent Pahang Training Tour on 7 and 8 September 2022. Although our main aim was to benchmark our football talent to others in the region, we gained much more than that from this excellent experience.
Over two days in Malaysia, we had the wonderful opportunity to play with the U15 soccer players from the Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy. They are one of the best soccer academies in Asia. This was a valuable and memorable experience as it was almost a whole new ball game to our eyes. We had the opportunity to learn many football lessons like keeping momentum and intensity up always; fast and high accuracy passing; and importance of good team communication and teamwork.
Our team bonded well experiencing the journey together from intense games and time off the field together as well. We had to exercise good time management as our trip had a tight schedule. We had to be punctual and well-disciplined even after a long tiring bus journey. We had opportunities to socially interact with boys there and learn about their Malaysian culture. We understudied them and learnt about their “winning formula” in football as well.
This trip has certainly helped me and the whole team in our football development. It was an eye- opener to experience high-level of football and it motivated us to work harder and reach their level. We tested ourselves against a stronger team and it helped our team players and coaches to reflect how we could improve ourselves in all areas. I am thankful to the School, our coaches and organisers for providing us this fun and valuable experience in Malaysia.
Written By
Ryan Hakim Rickit
Secondary 3
“Malaysia Boleh!” This was a lesson in football from in our recent Pahang Training Tour on 7 and 8 September 2022. Although our main aim was to benchmark our football talent to others in the region, we gained much more than that from this excellent experience.
Over two days in Malaysia, we had the wonderful opportunity to play with the U15 soccer players from the Mokhtar Dahari Football Academy. They are one of the best soccer academies in Asia. This was a valuable and memorable experience as it was almost a whole new ball game to our eyes. We had the opportunity to learn many football lessons like keeping momentum and intensity up always; fast and high accuracy passing; and importance of good team communication and teamwork.
Our team bonded well experiencing the journey together from intense games and time off the field together as well. We had to exercise good time management as our trip had a tight schedule. We had to be punctual and well-disciplined even after a long tiring bus journey. We had opportunities to socially interact with boys there and learn about their Malaysian culture. We understudied them and learnt about their “winning formula” in football as well.
This trip has certainly helped me and the whole team in our football development. It was an eye- opener to experience high-level of football and it motivated us to work harder and reach their level. We tested ourselves against a stronger team and it helped our team players and coaches to reflect how we could improve ourselves in all areas. I am thankful to the School, our coaches and organisers for providing us this fun and valuable experience in Malaysia.
