Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Kuala Lumpur: Futsal training which is the first activity of AFC Midnight Football Second Edition kicked off at Sentul, here, on Thursday.
The event attracted the participation of 84 secondary students from three schools in the Sentul neighbourhood which has its share of social problems such as 'lepaking' (loitering), truancy and fights.
Midnight Football is the AFC’s social development programme which aims to guide youngsters going in the wrong direction using football as the central platform to bring about positive change.
AFC launched the inaugural edition of Midnight Football in the Kuala Lumpur inner city area of Cheras in August last year.
The Thursday event started off with a welcoming speech by AFC Corporate Responsibility Head Dr. Annathurai Ranganathan who promised the participants that they will stand a chance to be better persons in the programme.
“Trust me that if you commit yourself throughout the eight months of the programme, you will be able to bring a new light in your life like what was experienced by the participants of the first edition of Midnight Football,” he said.
A briefing on the rules and regulations of the day’s programme, which was basic futsal training, was then given to the participants.
Seven futsal coaches led by head coach Edwin Roch were then introduced to the Secondary Form Three-to-Form Four youngsters who included 27 girls. They were then divided into groups with which they underwent basic futsal training.
Some of the participants admitted they had never played futsal before but thanks to Midnight Football, they began to feel the excitement of the game which they knew was not the only activity in the programme but was also a tool to expose the kids to other equally valuable trainings to help them become better persons and citizens.