18 complete soccer camp in HK

A Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong coach gives instructions to CNMI youth players before starting their training session during a summer camp in Hong Kong last month. (Contributed Photo)

Eighteen youth players from the CNMI attended a summer soccer camp in Hong Kong through the help of Saipan Soccer School and Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong.

The camp participants were divided into two batches with the first one made up of Jerick Ben Quimzon, Jared King, Joshua Daniel Mailig, Nazzir Altamirano, Jim Kurt Maniago, David Kim, Jonathan Mindanao, John Michael Miguel, Zachary Tyler Malakai, Oliver Fajardo. The first group had its camp from June 22 to July 5, while the second one ran from July 10 to 23. Sue Ann Huevos, Marinel Falalimpa, Kristelle Itaas, Hannah Santos, Emalyn Aniana, Charlene Dangana, Lovely Loyola, and Tamisha Sablan attended the second camp. Participants in the camp held training sessions twice a day from Monday to Friday at different pitches in Kowloon and also played in several friendly games.

“The boys mostly walked to and from training, while other times we took the subway or bus. There were a few days where they trained and had scrimmage with Chelsea Soccer School U-13 Elite Team and Parents’ team,” said Raymond Zapanta, who accompanied the first group in Hong Kong.

Players from the first batch had Chelsea FC Soccer School Hong Kong’s Kwok Kei Poon as its head coach, while coach Takemo Suzuki handled the group’s training sessions in the morning and afternoon.

“Sue Sze and Carol Chan assisted with our training schedule and accommodations. We also got support from coaches Stephen and Andy, Ben Lam, and Raymond Tan,” Zapanta said.

“Aside from training, we took the kids to Ocean Park the first Sunday and then Disneyland the next Sunday. At night, we took the kids sightseeing and some shopping. We went to Tsim Sha Tsui where they got a view of Victoria Harbour and the city of Hong Kong. They rode the ferry to cross the harbor to Hong Kong island and then rode it back to Kowloon. They went to different shopping malls and night markets in Kowloon and saw how vibrant and crowded it can be when compared to Saipan,” he added.

Though they love the sightseeing, the CNMI youth players were more than thankful for the opportunity to train in a high-level facility and under knowledgeable coaches and challenge Hong Kong players.

“The Hong Kong players are really good and they pushed us to play our best. It was really a great experience. The training sessions taught us a lot about discipline,” Maniago said.

“We also learned to communicate well with our teammates and have better understanding of the game and our positioning/spacing at the pitch. I am excited to practice what I have learned from Hong Kong once we start playing again here,” Fajardo said.

Zapanta, on the other hand, noted the excitement he saw from the players when they were at the artificial turf. He added that players were amazed with some of the new skills they have learned and opportunities like this are what they need to continue to excel.

“These children have the potential to become national team players, and this kind of trips could be that extra motivation and eye-opening experience they need to train harder and be more serious on the field. A lot of times, these children are able to share their experiences with their teammates, and with that, they motivate each other to become better players,” Zapanta said.

As for the second batch of CNMI players who attended the two-week camp, Cristy Villaflor said the training sessions in Hong Kong were very important to their development because majority of them began playing the sport late.

“Majority of the players were motivated to do their best to catch up with the drills since most of them started playing soccer late. The new skills and techniques they learned from the Chelsea coaches will definitely help them as they play in actual games this coming fall season,” said Villaflor, who accompanied the group of young girls to the summer camp.