New Zealand awaits

Phoeun Sopheak, off to New Zealand as part of his football development

Tomorrow is a the start of a big week for two members of the Phnom Penh Crown Elite Academy. Head coach Bouy Dary and one of his most promising young players, Phoeun Sopheak, are heading over to New Zealand as a bonus from the partnership arrangement that PPCFC have with the Asia Pacific Football Academy (APFA), who have their headquarters at Lincoln University, near Christchurch in New Zealand. APFA have helped Crown with their development programme from day 1 of the Academy and they in turn incorporate key principles and practices from Chelsea's own youth programs. The APFA run their own full-time residential football academy for boys aged 13-18 and they have a track record of developing young talent. Only last year, five of their scholars represented their country at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

This is exactly the standard that Bouy Dary, recently tasked with leading the Cambodian U-14 national squad as well as the Crown Academy, will get to see at close quarters, assessing their coaching and evaluation programs, physical and mental conditioning, the use of video analysis and much more besides. For 14-year-old Sopheak, clearly a young man with a footballing future, he will have the chance to mix with elite scholars to assess his current level of ability and get evaluation and assessment from APFA's coaches to maximize his ongoing long-term development. Probably something that no Cambodian youngster has ever had the opportunity to do before. With Dary and Sopheak catching their flight tomorrow, they will both miss the Academy's appearance in the Final of the Barclays Capital ISF U-14 Champions League on Sunday at the Army Stadium (1pm kick-off) against rivals Preah Khan Reach. However, this is an opportunity not to be missed and everyone at the club is excited for them both.