The Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan has made great strides in recent years to professionalise its soccer school. Only two of the last eight qualifying games for the 2018 World Cup were lost. Unfortunately, the country had to beat Australia and Jordan in the final rankings. So it remains a wait for Kyrgyzstan to qualify for a World Cup final round for the first time.
To facilitate the growing demand for soccer, Ryce Travel Foundation wants to open a soccer school in eastern Kyrgyzstan. In 2016, we started collecting soccer clothing and training equipment. Meanwhile, the necessary soccer clubs have cooperated. To immediately take the soccer school to the next level, we have already found some trainers who want to help start the soccer school.
The implementation
Last summer, we left for Karakol in Kyrgyzstan with a Dutch delegation. Here we delivered clothing and training equipment to the local club FC Issyk Kol. They play in the highest Kyrgyz league. To get (and keep) the city’s young people excited, we set up a soccer school together. In September, local youth received training from Dutch trainers, and local trainers were retrained with Dutch exercise material.
Soccer School
The soccer school took place in September at Stadium Karakol. The home of the local soccer club FC Issyk Kol Karakol. The stadium seats 8,000 spectators, and despite the harsh weather conditions, the turf was in great shape. We are delighted to have been able to use this place for training. In the winter months, workouts shift to the nearby indoor hall.
Many sports take place in school settings. We want the training to occur outside school hours to promote after-school care. Most local youths need more money to enrol in a sports club or pay rent for a sports field. Nor do these youngsters have any clothes or soccer shoes. Especially for this target group, we want to offer them the opportunity to develop themselves in soccer. In any case, enthusiasm is high.
What can you do?
To continue the success of the soccer school, we are still looking for equipment. Soccer clothing (preferably for a 7 or 11 team), soccer shoes, tracksuits, shin guards, balls, training equipment and balls are required. Everything is more than welcome. If you have something you would like to donate, don’t hesitate to get in touch with mail@rycetravel.com
