Football to Inspire
During 2020 and 2021, football in Singapore was closed or operating at reduced headcount due to social distancing requirements brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. For Caroline, who has been an active footballer for 10 years and who often trained 4-5 times per week and played on both her school and club teams, this was a difficult period of time. She found that kicking the ball against a wall at home or “Zoom training” was a poor substitute for time on the field with her friends, teammates and coaches for training and games.
Moreover, in addition to the obvious physical benefits that came from regular football training, through football’s absence, Caroline also realized during these times that she benefitted greatly both mentally and psychologically from her active participation in football. Learning how to be a good teammate, learning about leadership, gaining confidence from mastering a new skill, building new friendships through shared experiences – these were just a few of the areas that she missed.
Having experienced the loss of football during this time, as Covid-19 restrictions ended in Singapore in 2022, Caroline decided that she wanted to try to help underprivileged kids who don’t have the same access to sports that she has been lucky to have. That led to the launch of Football to Inspire.
Football to Inspire partners with coaches, academies, NGOs and/or businesses in Asia to sponsor football camps for kids led by Caroline and her assistant coaches (usually her brothers…). She teaches the kids everything from the FIFA 11+ Kids warmup (NIH Link to Study on Benefits of FIFA Kids 11+ Warmup ) to basic drills. She organizes mini-games. If the kids are younger, uses games like Red Light-Green Light or Telephone to teach them how to learn skills like dribbling. And most importantly, she makes the football camps fun!!!!
At the end of the camp, each camper receives a shirt, a bag, a soccer ball, a hat, a water bottle and sneakers or cleats. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances of the campers, she may also partner with donors to provide other items such as toiletries or toys.
Caroline’s hope is that the Football to Inspire campers will be inspired by their participation and have the tools such as the skills + friends from the camp + football / hat / water bottle / sneakers & a bag to hold it all, so start their sports journey. In this way they can get the same mental, psychological and physical benefits from football that Caroline has.
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