KUCHING: The opening ceremony of the Petronas Youth Football Closed Tournament 2024 will be held on Sept 13 at the Sarawak State Stadium.
The event, organised by Petronas in partnership with the Kuching District Football Association (KDFA), Kuching City Football Association (KCFC) and Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC), will witness 23 football academies and school schools from Kuching, Samarahan and Sri Aman.
A total of 56 teams will compete in four age categories, namely Under 10, Under 12, Under 14 and Under 16.
Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah praised Petronas for hosting the football tournament, which aims to nurture young talent in a structured environment.
“Football stands as one of the most accessible sports for young people, and it provides a secure environment where youths can explore their individual capabilities and aquire new skills.
“That is why we welcome any effort to build up our youths, to build up our football team, and it will be good because and it will nurture the youths to have good characters, teamwork, a strong spirit, and good health,” he said.
He was speaking at a press conference for the upcoming tournament at Baitul Makmur II building here today.
Additionally, Abdul Karim said that during the opening ceremony, a special segment will showcase the appearance of legendary players from the iconic Sarawak teams “Ngap Sayot” and “Bujang Senang” as they return to the field for an exhibition match against a team selected by the tournament organisers.
“Trophies and medals will be awarded to the top four winning teams in each age category.
“Special awards such as “Best Player”, “Best Goalkeeper” and “Fair Play Team” will also be presented to deserving individuals and teams,” he added.
The tournaments matches will span over two and a half months, from Sept 14 to Nov 16, with games scheduled on weekends at several football fields here.
