MAN IN CHARGE: Former Sarawak coach Vest said the trip would provide exposure and experience for the Sukma team.
KUCHING: Sarawak Sukma XV football team has chosen Perth, Australia as the venue for their playing tour and are set to play against a number of teams there.
According to Sukma XV football technical advisor Alan Vest, the trip would provide exposure and experience for the team.
“We will fly to Perth on Thursday (tomorrow) and the lads will first train before playing any matches. This is for adaptation purposes as they need to acclimatise to the weather there,” revealed Vest.
So far, four matches have already been confirmed by Vest for the Sukma team in Perth.
“The team will face Perth National Training Center U-18 this coming Monday followed by a match against local side Sterling the next day.
“They will go on to face Inglewood on Wednesday and finally Kingsway Olympic on Thursday. The team will be given rest on Friday. Training and a match against a local side will resume on Saturday,” informed Vest.
Experienced coach Mike Leigh from England has been entrusted to polish the Sukma squad and he will travel with the team to Perth.
Leigh’s involvement with the Sukma team came under the recommendation of Vest. He is excited at Leigh’s involvement in the team as Leigh has a very impressive track record when it comes to youth development.
The Sarawak Sukma XV team had a successful statewide playing tour last month winning all their matches against top local sides.
For the record, the last time Sarawak won the gold medal in Sukma was in 1992.