Courtesy: Bendigo Advertiser


Digging deep for Karen soccer stars

by Adam Holmes

22 Aug 2016

FOUR Karen soccer stars are off to the national futsal championships in Brisbane, thanks to some generous donations in Bendigo.

Bah Blu Htoo Kunoo, Htee Moo Htoo, Pleh Eh Ywa Hlaing and Per Soe were selected to represent Victoria Country at the championships, but the $1400 price tag per player proved a barrier.

That’s where Bendigo’s generous service clubs stepped in.

After the Y Services Club of Bendigo made a $1400 donation to help one player make the trip, the Rotary Club of Bendigo also stepped up to the plate with a donation.

The Department of Human Services and an anonymous donor chipped in to raise the final funds.

Mardi Holland, who works with the boys in their classes at Bendigo Senior Secondary College, said they were “humbled” by the response from the community.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the generosity of the local community towards our Karen students,” she said.

“Rotary have been particularly generous in supporting our programs over the years. We’re just so proud of the boys and all our Karen students.”

The four players, who came to Australia from refugee camps on the Thai-Burmese border, were selected after the school arranged to have a futsal coach run a clinic earlier this year.

The coach noticed their talent almost straight away, and offered them the opportunity to play with the best in Brisbane.

Rotary Club of Bendigo president Glenn Reilly said club members were moved by the boy’s stories.

“As president of Rotary, one of my goals this year for our club was to support some of the new refugee families to Bendigo,” he said.

“After reading the article in the Bendigo Advertiser I knew we couldn’t let these boys miss out.”

The championships run from September 26 to 29.


Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com