Sports at Club Tapang

M’Lop Tapang continues to place great value to the healing properties of sports. Activities such as football, basketball and volleyball not only teach children new skills and discipline as well as developing their physical strength, they also help to build their confidence and ability to interact socially.

With dedicated support from the Sporting Chance Foundation, M’Lop Tapang’s Sports Program for street kids has really taken off! Sporting Chance aims to improve the lives of underprivileged children through the medium of sport – a mission which fits in perfectly with M’Lop Tapang’s vision for the children of Sihanoukville. The foundation’s support has enabled M’Lop Tapang to employ 2 full-time sports coordinators and security guard at our community playground, as well as purchase equipment and uniforms for the kids. They have also provided funds for training, tournaments, transportation and the much needed re-surfacing of our football pitch.

Football Camp!

Thanks to funding from the British Embassy, M’Lop Tapang children benefited enormously from a week-long sports training program offered by the Battambang-based NGO ‘Spirit of Soccer’. Spirit of Soccer works closely with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and places great emphasis on linking sport to education. Traditionally, the organisation has focused on de-mining education, but acknowledged the need to tailor M’Lop Tapang’s program towards drug awareness based on recommendations made by our social workers.

Four Cambodian trainers and 1 coordinator from Spirit of Soccer spent a week working with M’Lop Tapang staff and close to 60 kids from Phum Dong, Phnom Kiev, the Education Team and the playground – helping them to develop and improve their football, volleyball and basketball skills. Training took place at M’Lop Tapang’s newly opened community playground, which features a large sandy volleyball court and a wide open pitch for football and basketball training. Plans for a second program in the coming months are currently in the works. M’Lop Tapang’s experienced Drug Team leader organised a daily drug education session for all of the children participating in the training, which focused on the dangerous effects of popular drugs.

In addition to the obvious recreational and fun benefits of the program, one of the goals of the week-long training was to select one outstanding participant to go to Phnom Penh for training towards their ‘D license’ – a FIFA-recognised coaching license. We were delighted to inform a former street kid and long-time friend of M’Lop Tapang, Kouy, that he was chosen to attend the training! Kouy was thrilled to learn that his hard work and commitment to improving his life over the last few years has resulted in such a wonderful opportunity for his future! Having Kouy as a licensed coach will allow M’Lop Tapang to continue developing its sports program in a more sustainable way, without having to rely on outside organisations for future training.