In today’s young Malaysian society of lost souls, many of them are lacking in direction, needing direction and longing for social connections. Thus, participating in football activities has countless benefits for kids as through football they can learn a number of skills and lessons which they can carry into teen and adulthood.
Football, especially grassroot football plays a vital role in the local Malaysian community. Not only do they help young kids to stay fit and healthy and help develop an individual’s sporting talents, but they also bring people from the various community together.
It also plays a significant role in giving young kids to meet new friends from different social backgrounds while reflecting and reminding themselves the importance of national unity and the special role that football plays in bringing the nation together.
Being the number one sport in the nation since the dawn of independence, football has always been associated in every Malaysian’s household throughout the years as parents have always been advocating and encouraging their kids to involve in the sport to improve their self-confidence.
Self-confidence plays a crucial role in attaining success in any walk of life. It also makes kids aware of their potential and how with correct mindset and self-confidence one can achieve anything in life.
On top of that, parents encouraging kids in sports is highly crucial as adapting sports culture can help them in growing into a physically & emotionally balanced citizen of the nation. Involving kids in football from an early age is definitely a significant step for making them become a responsible being.
Hence in its effort to drive the true value of football and to continuously develop young footballers for the nation, MILO continues its allegiance in supporting the development of Malaysian grassroot football in this “national” month by inaugurating the 2022 MILO Junior Champions League.
Having nourished Malaysians for over 70 years with the goodness of malt, MILO is teaming up with JSA Academy to help create a platform for young footballers to showcase their talents through this tournament.
MILO’s Sports Marketing Manager, Kerwin Lim believes the ‘MILO Junior Champions League’ will play a significant role in the development of national unity among kids and Malaysian grassroots football in the country.
He said the objective of the tournament is to empower and energise the young football talents to strive for success in the early stages of their life’s as well as to inspire parents to encourage their children to be active in sports from young.
“Our aim is to focus on junior and grassroots football while reaching out to children of all walks of life throughout the country through this competition.
“Parents have placed emphasis on their child’s academic success, but we feel that it is also important for our children to learn and experience the values that sports instill in them from a young age.
“Football plays a big role in a child’s growth in life. It helps them develop their mental-physical strength and social & unity skills which will last through the years – giving them a good foundation in life.
In this auspicious national month, let’s remember that “unity” was the foundation value that this nation was built upon and through the inception of this tournament MILO believes that this value can be expressed and experienced by the players on the field,” Kerwin added.
Meanwhile, MILO’s initiatives also received praises and recognition from the participants parents for providing a platform for their kids to foster togetherness through this competition.
Muhammad Zaiful Abu Bakar’s three sons who represents La Staliion FC in the Junior Champions League (U-8, U-10 & U-12) category conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to MILO for organizing such a stellar event.
“I’m thankful to MILO for giving my sons the opportunity to compete in such a reputable tournament especially in this national month.
I believe that with the inception of this competition, many parents can discover their children’s talents and support them to develop their footballing skills. On top of that, this tournament clearly uplifts the spirit of Merdeka and the importance of togetherness and unity through football. Once again, my heartfelt gratitude to MILO & JSA Academy for organizing such a great event,” said Zaiful.
The ongoing Milo Junior Champions League is the battleground for the top 12 teams (Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14 and Under-17) qualified from the Milo Challenger Cup which was held in last May. The tournament offers weekly competition with the goal of providing youth teams the opportunity to play regular competitive matches and bringing together academies throughout the nation.
With the Season 1 of the Milo Junior Champions League commencing on the 30th of July, the tournament is expected to draw its curtains on the 25th of September with all matches being played at JSA Arena, a multimillion sports and F&B hub at Setia Alam.
