PENAMPANG: The Tunas Academy will be set up in all of Sabah with the aim to equip young talents with basic football knowledge and quality playing style.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the academy, which comes under the National Football Development Programme (NFDP), is a platform to groom young talents for future national teams to boost the status of Malaysian football internationally.
"I hope to set up another football training centre in Sabah next year. The plan is to open a Tunas Academy and one district training centre for primary and secondary schools in all districts or parliamentary constituencies," he told reporters after attending the National Transformation Dialogue 2050 (TN50) here, today.
The NFDP was introduced four years ago as part of the government's ongoing efforts and commitment to make the national team capable of qualifying for international tournaments.
"We have to be patient and wait for a new generation to be developed with this new system to boost the performance of the national team at international level," added Khairy. — BERNAMA