HAPPY FOOTBALL

CAMBODIA

AUSTRALIA

Proud Oroong Village school Principal Sreipov (in middle in orange) with her two teams and teachers. Image P Grogan.

With full focus on scoring a penalty Samrith aims for glory as his coaches watch on. Image Andrew Fox/IGS

A touching moment as two Coaches lift up their player as his goal secures victory for Oroong Village. Image Andrew Fox/IGS

The Girls final was action packed as the Oroong Girls team (in blue bibs) tried to block a free kick from Sras Srong village attacker.  Image Andrew Fox/IGS

The Ivanhoe Grammar School Village Cup would have not have been possible without the hugely significant contribution of our close partner Siem Reap partner Build your Future Today.

Check our more pictures from the Village Cup HERE

Elizabeth continued ''Watching the Cambodian kids experience Siem Reap city for the first time and take it all in reminded me to be grateful for the little things and to always maintain a positive mindset. It was heartbreaking to see some of the kids cry after losing a match, but their gratitude for simply being able to play on a proper soccer field and wear a uniform was incredibly humbling''  

16 year old IGS Student Elizabeth is very keen to work in event management after university so she fully embraced her role at the Village Cup. "Playing a key role in the pitch and logistics management of the Village Cup was such an incredible and meaningful experience'' said Elizabeth ''My responsibility for pitch management meant ensuring that all my peers were coaching the right teams, staying on schedule, and resolving any issues that arose throughout the tournament. It was a unique opportunity for me to apply my leadership skills and push myself in a real-world setting." 

HFCA also ensured that IGS students who were more interested in non sports related roles were fully engaged. We created three roving media teams of four students each to act as photographers, videographers, content writers and producers and gave them full access to our Facebook page with its 116k followers. Other vital roles such as pitch management, scoreboard managers and music were managed by IGS students and those not actively involved in event roles just picked a village team and cheered them on.

'Coaching the Cambodian girls was quite an uplifting experience. As we advanced through the tournament we saw the emotion and determination expressed by the girls, observing just how important winning this tournament would be for them, and as such put in our best efforts in keeping spirits high'' said IGS Student Fatima (aged 17)  "This experience taught me the important of teamwork, determination, and most importantly spirit.''

HFCA's 80 youth came from Oroong Village, Chub Smach Village & Sras Srong Village. They were split evenly with 40 girls in one tournament and 40 boys in another tournament and both mini tournaments running concurrently. Each team had a minimum of three matches each.  

Travelling all the way from Melbourne, Australia our long standing friends IGS (Ivanhoe Grammar School) rolled into Siem Reap and their 100 students really outdid themselves. It was a fantastic day of football, fun and learning for HFCA's players, all of whom are from isolated rural villages in Siem Reap province. 

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