One of the most exciting developments in Asean youth football for decades will begin this coming weekend, on Saturday 25 May. The first round of matches in the brand new FAM-Frenz U-15 Asean Champions Trophy 2013 will take place with all 11 Asean nations competing for the first time in a Champions League-style club competition. With substantial prize money at stake - US$50,000 going to the champions and US$25,000 to the runners-up - this new competition is the brainchild of the Football Association of Malaysia and the Frenz United Football Academy of Pahang, Malaysia, with major sponsorship partners including the regional airline carrier, Air Asia.
Twelve hand-picked teams regarded as the best in each country, which will include two from the Frenz United Academy in Malaysia, will play home and away matches in two groups, with the top two teams going onto contest Semi-Finals and the Final over two legs. Cambodia’s representative will be the Phnom Penh Crown Academy, regarded as possessing the cream of U-15 youth footballers in the Kingdom amongst their ranks. For their competition debut, PPCFC Academy will travel to meet Vietnam’s PVF Academy in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday 25 May for a 7.30pm evening kick-off. The following Saturday, 1 June, PPCFC Academy will be on home soil for the first time to entertain the Frenz Malaysia Academy side, with the game scheduled for the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. Kick-off time to be confirmed next week.
The organisers and their sponsors are guaranteeing the cost of flights, accommodation, food and transport for all teams’ away matches, so when the PPCFC Academy plays away for example, all costs will be covered for twenty players and five officials. For home matches, it is PPCFC Academy’s responsibility to host their visitors at the Olympic Stadium. There will be an admission charge to watch the games at the Olympic Stadium.
The two groups are as follows:
Group A: Frenz Malaysia A, Singapore NFA, Vietnam PVF Academy, Phnom Penh Crown Academy, Thailand Chonburi Academy, Timor Leste U-15s.
Group B: Frenz Indonesia, Myanmar Mandalay Academy, Lao Toyota Academy, Brunei U-15, Philippines U-15, Frenz Malaysia B.
The fixtures for the PPCFC Academy are as follows:
Saturday 25 May AWAY v Vietnam PVF FA at Thanh Long Sports Center, Ho Chi Minh. KO 7.30pm.
Saturday 1 June HOME v Frenz Malaysia A at Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. KO to be confirmed.
*Thursday 6 June AWAY v Singapore NFA at Jalan Besar, Singapore. KO 7.45pm.
Saturday 15 June AWAY v Timor Leste U-15 at Municipal Stadium, Dili. KO 3.45pm.
Saturday 22 June HOME v Chonburi FC Thailand at Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. KO to be confirmed.
Saturday 29 June AWAY v Chonburi FC Thailand at Chonburi Stadium. KO 6pm.
Saturday 6 July HOME v Timor Leste U-15 at Olympic Stadium, Phom Penh. KO to be confirmed.
*Saturday 13 July HOME v Singapore NFA at Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. KO to be confirmed.
Saturday 20 July AWAY v Frenz Malaysia A at Frenz Stadium, Pahang. KO 8.30pm.
Saturday 27 July HOME v Vietnam PVF FA at Olympic Stadium, Phnom Penh. KO to be confirmed.
2 Leg Semi Finals on 3 and 17 August. 2 Leg Final on 24 Aug and 1 Sept.
*Provisional Dates to be confirmed.
At the Official Press Conference to announce the competition, held at the weekend in Kuala Lumpur, the Football Association of Malaysia’s (FAM) deputy president HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said; “This Under-15 tournament should not just be a tournament for the younger players to gain exposure, but it should be the place where they learn to become champions. It must start at this stage, and the coaches must play their roles to bring up these champions. I am very proud that the tournament is taking place in Pahang (where he is the Crown Prince, and home of Frenz United), and my hope is to see a Malaysia team win the US$100,000 prize money.”
Phnom Penh Crown President, Mr Rithy Samnang, spoke about the benefits of the new U-15 Asean Champions Trophy. "This new competition is a fantastic opportunity for Cambodia's best U-15 players to compare themselves against the best players of the same age across the Asean region. It’s a ground-breaking competition which will allow the young players of Cambodia to understand what is required to match their Asean neighbours, who have historically performed better than Cambodia on the international stage. I am so excited by this Asean Champions Trophy, and I urge all Cambodian football fans to support this new competition."
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