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 The MUSS camps here will see participants trained by coaches flown in from United. | |
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SINGAPORE : With academies in the United States, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Australia, the Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS) are looking to make Singapore their regional base, with an eye on reaching out to the rest of this region.
“We’re trying to create greater awareness of United’s brand of football in the region,” said Ian Gerard de Souza, Kirkwall Pte Ltd’s sports division head. “We have plans to organise MUSS camps here and in Kuala Lumpur in June, and in Jakarta in later this year.”
Kirkwall, a locally-based investment holding company, secured the rights late last year to run the MUSS in South-east Asia for the next two years.
They helped organise the first MUSS camp here in December last year, and are currently in talks with the Singapore Sports Council and Economic Development
Board to help set up their regional base here.
“We’re looking for a place with a full-sized astroturf to facilitate our activities, which also includes community outreach programmes for under-privileged children,” said de Souza, 43.
About 10,000 square feet in floor space, and S$2 million is required to get the MUSS - open to players from ages seven to 18 - up and running.
De Souza said: “The economic situation has set our plans back a few months. Hopefully, it will be ready by the third quarter this year.”
De Souza was speaking at a clinic at Anglo-Chinese Junior College on Tuesday, where about 25 students underwent a two-hour session conducted by MUSS Singapore head coach Robin van der Laan, 40.
Next week, the Dutchman will conduct the second MUSS camp at SAFRA Tampines. The training will be based on the Manchester United Academy Programme used by manager Alex Ferguson to groom players like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.
“The emphasis is on skill and individual player development, on dominating one-on-one situations,” said van der Laan. “We try to create players who are comfortable on the ball, can work a skill to create space, and can play anywhere on the field.”
Fellow MUSS coaches Lee Merrick, Wayne Watkins and Tony Byrne, as well as local players such as S Subramani and Aide Iskandar, will also be present.
The fee for the course (March 16-20) is S$525, but de Souza said: “Here, you get trained by coaches specially flown in from United.”
Visit www.muss.sg for more details.
- TODAY/il
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