Ball'In Schools Instructor Course held in Kuala Lumpur

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - The FIBA Regional Office-Asia continued its efforts to grow the Ball'in Schools program after organizing an Instructor Course last November 8-11 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Made possible in cooperation with the Malaysia Basketball Association (MABA), the four-day workshop was made to expand the pool of instructors for the said initiative.

The recent Instructor Course was held for the SEABA sub-zone. Eight participants from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar, Brunei, and Laos were selected to take part.

Malaysia women's national team veteran Nur Izzati Yaakob was among those who attended the sessions and felt grateful for the 'invaluable knowledge' she gathered.

"During this past four days, It has truly been a transformative experience," she said. "This course has provided me with invaluable knowledge on various aspects, including effective training techniques, meticulous program planning, and comprehensive event management."

"The course has not only enhanced my coaching abilities but has also equipped me with the necessary skills to organize and execute successful events," she added.

"I am grateful for the comprehensive understanding I have gained through this course, as it has undoubtedly broadened my horizons and enriched my professional skills."

Athini Mardlatika from Indonesia, on the other hand, was thankful as well for the whole experience as she believes that it will only help her grow as a young basketball coach.

"I learned a lot of new things that can be learned in a meaningful way. The course also motivated me to be more useful as a basketball coach in building basketball culture in Indonesia. There are still many things that I need to learn in the future, because I am still young as a coach," she said.

"It gave me a view of how, in the future, it could have an impact on the development of basketball coaching in Indonesia. This is an opportunity I rarely get as a young coach. I hope that in the future this program can involve more coaches from other countries," she added.

Active has been Ball'In Schools this year, having been held in different parts of Asia such as Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Thailand, Malaysia, and Maldives. One more will be held in Dubai this December.

Founded by the FIBA Regional Office-Asia, Ball'In Schools is a grassroots development project that aims to help plant the seeds of love for the game of basketball at a young age, especially in schools.

The program addresses the current and common challenges that slow down the development of basketball, such as the insufficient presence of the sport in schools; the absence of age groups competitions and tournaments, or the low quality of basketball infrastructure and limited accessibility.

Ball'In Schools does so by empowering local ambassadors with a program to push basketball in schools. These programs are trained by experts selected by the FIBA Regional Office-Asia where the ambassadors use what they have learned and then take the initiative further to introduce or raise awareness.

FIBA