TAKEO TO HOST FFC’S NEW NATIONAL FOOTBALL CENTRE

The FFC unveiled their plans for the new National Football Center (NFC) on a 15 hectares of land in Takeo recently purchased by the FFC with the new grounds to have four pitches, dormitories and parking spaces for 500 vehicles.

“Currently, our old NFC is too small and it get flooded during the rainy season,” said Sao Sokha (pix), who was return unopposed as the president of FFC in a recent election.

“The national team players need large, modern facilities to give them the best chance of competing strongly in international competitions.”

Sao Sokha, who is also commander of the Military Police, said the new centre, located between the Phnom Tamao National Zoo and the Tonle Bati Resort, will encourage footballers to improve their training regimes.

The president also revealed the grounds design accommodating four football pitches – one for competitions, and three for training – parking space for 500 cars, large reservoirs for supplying irrigation, and two dormitories – one for visiting players and teams, and one for selected national team players.

“We plan to spend about USD1.2 million in total for the construction of the new NFC,” said Sao Sokha, who also announced that the land in Takeo cost FFC USD200,000 with private funds organised by the president.

“We also plan to sell the old NFC in Phnom Penh, to generate funds for the new NFC in Takeo,” he added.

Sao Sokha also thanked the kind donations from unnamed sources of 200,000 litres of gasoline and machinery used to level the land and develop the infrastructure.

Thong Khon, president of National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said he was impressed at the rapidness of the FFC’s improvement of football in the Kingdom, but noted that a lot still needs to be done before Cambodia could become a top contender in the region.