Thursday November 12, 2009
Football club adopts 1Malaysia concept
When it was established in 1991, the Portuguese Youth Football Club (PYFC) comprised ethnic Portuguese-Eurasian players mainly residing within the Portuguese Settlement at Ujong Pasir, much like its predecessor the Young Vinolia Football Club (YVFC) that existed from the early 1950s to the mid-Seventies.
However, the club took on a refreshing outlook when Simon Buenaventura took over the management helm last year. A mainstay senior player at the club up until he was forced into retirement following a serious knee injury, Buenaventura made bold changes upon taking over the reigns at the club.
He not only adopted the 1Malaysia philosophy by recruiting talented Chinese, Malay and Indian youths living outside the settlement but also drafted three African talents, all students with Bukit Beruang’s Multimedia University.
The Nigerian trio are Song Roberto, Eunnaf Nafi’u Innua and Phylyppo Eshett. The trio did not feature for PYFC in matches against the visting Brazil Football Centre as they were attending lectures.
The PYFC are no pushovers on the local football front. Blended with young talents and seasoned campaigners, the club is a regular in the Division One of the Malacca FA Junior League. Besides making the quarterfinals in the 2007 season, the club also made the last eight in the state league’s Division Three the same year.
They emerged champions in this year’s Banda Hilir state constituency football tournament.
Apart from playing competitively, the club also features in friendlies and challenge trophy matches including the principal Santa Cruz Challenge match against specially invited teams from Singapore.
The club is also in the preliminary stage of working out details on a collaboration with a youth team from Portugal for a series of annual matches on both home and away basis. The matches are planned in conjunction with the famed annual Festa San Pedro held at the Portuguese Settlement in late June.
Buenaventura said: “We have about 45 players in regular training all year round.
“Our immedaite aim is to seek promotion to Division Two as far as the state league is concerned, and subsequently to top flight football.
“We have an enthusiastic squad of players who are very dedicated and committed. With this positive attitude, I have no doubt that top flight football is within reach.”
Source:
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