An eye-opener for two young 
boys in Albirex exchange trip

Two secondary school students Danial Feroz and Tan Yu Hen are in Niigata, Japan until Sunday for a football and cultural exchange as part of an initiative under the Albirex Sports Development Fund.

Already, they have experienced first-hand the all-round sports culture of the city.

Last Sunday, they watched "live" a baseball match between Niigata Albirex Baseball Club and the Musashi Heat Bears at the Hard Off Eco Stadium.

Danial said: "The fans were very loud and energetic when cheering on their team and there was an amazing variety of merchandise on sale to choose from."

The duo will be training at the Albirex Niigata Football School alongside its Under-12 and junior youth squads, and taking part in cultural activities such as rice harvesting before they watch Albirex take on Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a J-League match tomorrow.

"It is a dream come true for me to be able to play football with my Japanese counterparts and I hope to improve my football skills when training here," said Yu Hen. - DAVID LEE