The 40 boys and PPCFC coaches pose for the camera at the final Academy trials

PPCFC complete their search for the best of Cambodia's football talent

Sunday afternoon was the culmination of Phnom Penh Crown's search across Cambodia for the cream of the country's best young footballing talent. Forty boys aged under-13, selected after 17 trials in as many provinces, came to Phnom Penh to try their best to get a place in the new PPCFC Elite Football Academy. They knew that 22 places were available for the two-year residential programme and they gave everything they had over two days of the final trials to follow their dream of becoming a professional footballer. The club's coaches led by Bouy Dary, head of the Academy, were assisted in the selection process by Graham McMann, chief scout with the Asia Pacific Football Academy in New Zealand, PPCFC's partners in setting up the Academy, as well as former Chelsea manager Ken Shellito, who is a coach and analyst for the Asian Football Confederation in Malaysia.

The 22 boys who gained selection, will spend the next two years getting high quality football coaching every morning and attending private school in the afternoons, all funded by PPCFC. They will live together at the PPCFC training headquarters in Tuol Kork in specially-built dormitories from January 2011. They will also get the chance to represent PPCFC in regional tournaments. This is a wonderful opportunity, the first of its kind in Cambodia, for these youngsters who want to follow their dreams of becoming the next Rooney, Ronaldo or Messi.

As you might expect, the 22 that made it were elated but as a mark of the respect these youngsters had developed for each other, they were quick to console the boys that didn't get selected. However, the 18 boys that won't be in the residential programme will still become part of the PPCFC Academy and will be invited to come to Phnom Penh for coaching every couple of months and on school holidays. Though they didn't make the elite 22, PPCFC were so impressed with all the boys that we are keen to keep them under our wing in the future. A big thank you to the boys and their coaches for being part of PPCFC's Elite Football Academy's search for the future stars of Cambodian football.

The final 22 players who will form the 1st PPCFC Elite Football Academy are: Pheurn Sopkeak, Orn Chanpolin, Pov Bunvuthy, En Sodavid, Chheng Pisal (Phnom Penh), Yue Muslim, Res Slaiman (Prek Kdam), Pech Sovanarath (Kompong Chhnang), Men Piphob, Ok Sovanna (Pursat), Nak Samnang, Ratha Phearon, Soun Neout (Battambang), Saveng Samnang (Banteay Meanchey), Kdey Barang (Siem Reap), Nob Devid (Kandal), Ken Chansopheak (Takeo), Theam Chhaya, Choun Chanchav (Sihanoukville), Kim Chhaya, Mat Saravy (Koh Kong), Srang Titchhy (Stung Treng).