Valencia treat for 10 Singapore teens
While their peers have been spending their year-end school holidays chilling out in malls and hipster cafes, a dozen teenagers have spent the last week honing their football skills at a training camp in Spain.
Ten of them are recipients of the Singapore Olympic Foundation (SOF)-Peter Lim Scholarship, while the two remaining footballers hail from the Singapore Sports School and the National Football Academy.
Since last Monday, the Singaporeans have been training under the watchful eyes of the coaches at Valencia CF's GloVal Academy, with the support of the club, which is owned by Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim.
The teens also took part in a tour of the Mestalla Stadium and its museum, and played friendly matches against Valencia youth teams.
The camp ends tomorrow.
APPLICATION OPENS ON JAN 3
The 10 scholarship recipients form the second batch of aspiring football players to take part in this SOF-Peter Lim Amunt Valencia Football Camp.
The boys hail from Hong Kah Secondary School, Jurongville Secondary School and Meridian Secondary School, and were chosen based on attributes such as conduct, attitude and discipline.
Hong Kah student Nabil Iman, 16, said: "I have learnt a lot in this camp, such as the coaching techniques from our Spanish coach.
"This camp has motivated me to train harder and improve myself as a player. I will continue to work hard to be a better player."
Application for the SOF-Peter Lim Scholarship, a programme started in 2011, begins on Jan 3 at www.sof.sg
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