Mummy and Daddy Daycare: Football for thought
For all sports loving parents – especially those who enjoy football – you may have come across the story a few weeks ago of 16-year-old Singaporean footballer Ben Davis.
Ben recently signed a two-year scholarship with Fulham Football Club, an English club which plays in the Championship, a tier below the Premier League.
Some parents we know have been talking about Ben, and share a common dream of having their children take up football – with a possible chance of playing overseas professionally.
Over the years, there have been a number of local football schools formed to tap this growing market of having kids take up the sport at an early age. With Daddy an avid football fan, we looked into the football schools in Singapore that we would be likely to choose if we wanted our sons to take up football as a sport. Here are the three we liked best:
ActiveSG Football Academy
With a convenient location one of the top factors on our list, this centre fits the bill in that regard. The ActiveSG Football Academy has centres across the island, meaning parents can enroll their kids at a location nearest to them. Another positive factor is their affordable rates, at $130 for 27 sessions over 10 weeks.
The reasonable rates definitely don’t mean the coaches are not qualified enough – the academy is led by former Singapore international Alexsander Duric and supported by a team of qualified coaches comprising former professional footballers and coaches. The programme covers a good balance of basic skills, to personal development such as discipline, playing as a team and fun exercises to keep children engaged.
What we liked: We found their training sessions engaging for the children and the set-up very professionally organised. The coaches are constantly interacting with the children, and we were also pleased to see parents sometimes getting involved on the pitch!
LFA
This is one of the private football academies that has a number of former professional footballers on their coaching roster, such as ex-Singapore international Samawira Basri and former Gombak United and Balestier Central skipper Jaslee Hatta. With four training centres situated in the east, their programme is focused on different age groups. Their rates include a one-time registration fee ($50) and deposit ($50), while the fees ranges from $32 to $40 per session. However, children from low-income families can apply for its Financial Assistance Scheme to fund their training fees.
What we liked: Apart from the technical training, you can find their coaches conducting team-building exercises to encourage children to work well in teams. There were times that we thought for a moment that we were in a professional football club’s training ground.
F-17 Football Academy
Just like the other football academies listed above, F-17 has a number of former professional players on their coaching team. If you are a parent who prefers to maximise every dollar, perhaps their ‘unlimited’ package at $500 will interest you. Over a term of three months, this will allow your child to attend as many training sessions if you want your child to be on the ‘fast track’ programme. This is in comparison to their limited package ($400), which comprises 12 training sessions over a term of three months.
What we liked: We opted to observe their under-six team playing in a futsal tournament, and their level of technical skills and ability surprised us – they were playing like older kids! It certainly was a good testimonial for their football programme after watching them play.
There you have it – three academies for parents who are looking to enroll their children to kick-start their footballing journey and hopefully, produce our next local superstar.
Mummy and Daddy Daycare are the pseudonyms of a Singaporean husband and wife who are raising two young boys aged four and one, nicknamed Barnacles and Kwazii from the children’s Octonauts series. Get into the minds of this couple who describe parenthood as a lifetime adventure – you are always learning something new! Whoever said parenting was a walk in the park?
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