Qantas Olyroos foster young Vietnamese talent

Qantas Olyroos rake time out of their busy schedule to train local children on tour of Vietnam.

The Qantas Olyroos held a training clinic for children from SOS Children's Village Mai Dich (Hanoi) at the Australian Embassy in Hanoi on 21 September.

At the clinic, 20 children from the SOS Children-s Village learnt advanced ball skills together with Qantas Olyroos coach Aurelio Vidmar. The children also had the chance to practice their newly-learn skills with the players.

The Qantas Olyroos are in Hanoi for the Thang Long Cup, celebrating Hanoi-s 1000th anniversary. The Olyroos will play the Vietnam National Team on Wednesday 22 September before taking on the Kuwait U23 team on Friday 24 September. Australian Ambassador HE Mr Allaster Cox said, “We-re proud that the Olyroos dedicated time in their busy schedule to working with disadvantaged Hanoi children. I think it is testament to the team-s commitment to fostering youth talent and represents the best Australian tradition of giving back to the community.”

Mr Nguyen Tien Dung, Director of the SOS Children's Village Mai Dich said, “This is a very meaningful and rewarding activity for these children, who only recently won first place in a national competition between SOS children villages throughout Vietnam. We-re pleased our children had the chance to learn with Australian players in a fun and relaxing atmosphere”.

SOS Children's Village Mai Dich, established in 1989, provides SOS care to 104 girls and 96 boys, and supports primate and secondary schooling for a further 700 students.