Children listen to one of the instructors during yesterday's NFABD Grassroots Football Festival at Jerudong International School. BT/Ak Fauzi Pg Salleh
The National Football Association of Brunei Darussalam's (NFABD) Grassroots Football Festival at the Jerudong International School received an overwhelming response yesterday with more than 400 children taking part.
The children were divided into two age categories: The first category is six to eight-years old, while the second category is nine to 11-years old.
Speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday, the NFABD senior staff coach Stephen Ng Heng Seng was pleased with the turnout of the crowd at the festival.
"Around 391 children have registered for the event and I saw another 10 to 15 children came just now and I am very happy that we have a very good response from the public today," said Ng.
"Grassroots football is the first stage of the football development and it is very important that we organise this kind of festival every year,"
"We have selected 50 children from the previous grassroots programme and they are here now today with us at the festival,"
200 children attended the first NFABD grassroots festival in November at the Balapan Track and Field of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex in Berakas.
"The facilitators of today's grassroots programmes are the local coaches who are currently undergoing the Grassroots Football Coaching Course, it is very good to have them taking part in today's event as part of their practical training," Ng continued.
"We will travel to Belait, Tutong and Temburong next and I hope that all the children will be able to come and join us on the day,"
The festival will continue on May 11 at the Arena Field in Seria, while the public in Tutong district can come to the festival at the Tutong Sports Complex on May 18.
It will conclude on May 25 at the Temburong Sports Complex at Bangar.
The festival was also organised in conjunction with the AFC Grassroots Day, which falls on May 15.
According to the event's programme handbook, NFABD along with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) are encouraging the member of its associations to organise their own grassroots football activities to promote the sport.
The NFABD is encouragingly taking its own initiatives in grassroots football programme which was spurred by the AFC's Grassroots Year which was observed last year.
Present at the festival were the NFABD Vice-President Pehin Datu Indera Sugara Brigadier General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Hj Mohammad Yusof Abu Bakar and General Secretary Hj Muhd Zamri Dato Paduka Hj Hamdani.
