The 2025 (FIFA) Club World Cup concluded on 14 July with Chelsea having a dominating showing against European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
“It’s a great feeling. Even better, because everyone doubted us before the game. We knew we had to put up a fight against a great team,” player Cole Palmer told Al Jazeera.
[See more: What’s next for football in Macao?]
Do your little ones want to follow in their footsteps? If so, tell them to pull up their socks, get booted up, and head out there. There are five football summer camps in Macao to know about.
There are also three local academies that you may want to check out, run by Triphasic Football, F.C. Porto Macau and the Sports Bureau and Macao Football Association, but they don’t offer summer programmes. This guide is for parents and caregivers who want to keep their sporting youngsters occupied during the school break.
Ivo10 Brazil Football Academy
Run by coach William Gomes, the five-year-old Ivo10 Brazil Football Academy’s summer camp this year will be held through July and August and all kids above the age of three can join.
The academy offers a special package, gifting students four free lessons of position-specific training – coaching based on a particular position in the team – if they sign up for regular lessons.
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The goal is to improve at football, while also teaching kids the importance of relationships. “We use football to help the kids understand how life works, how we need each other, and how we need to love and respect one another,” said Gomes in an earlier interview.
For details, click here and scan the QR code.
MUST CPK Soccer Training Centre
Call it the champion’s camp. The current top team in Macao’s Liga de Elite, MUST IPO (formerly known as Chao Pak Kei or CPK), is hosting a summer programme at the Macau University of Science and Technology football field from July to August for kids three to sixteen.
The summer program claims its field, which uses real turf instead of artificial grass, is the best among competitors. MUST IPO Soccer Training Centre says it hopes the kids will improve their soccer skills while also building character and acquiring positive values off the pitch.
[See more: Nine questions for Macao’s top centre forward Leong Ka Hang]
The coaching team consists of Inacio Hui, the director of MUST IPO; Domingos Chan, the former goalkeeper of the Macao team; and other players and coaches.
The club also offers gifts for newcomers signing up: either a uniform set or a Grande Lab gift card, depending on students’ training plans. Classes are available six times per week. To sign up or for more information, check out the Training Center’s Instagram page.
Benfica Macau
Benfica Macau is holding a summer camp at the Caesars Macau Golf Multisports field from 7 July to 29 August for kids aged six to 16, with top coaches.
Kids can expect to develop not just football skills but confidence, independence, social skills, and leadership abilities. The programme also promises to impart “a deeper understanding and appreciation for the cultural richness of Macao” to participating youngsters.
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“It’s an opportunity for them to have fun, make friends, and create lasting memories while developing important life skills,” Calado told Macao News earlier.
This year, the club also offers a stay-in summer camp for five days and four nights at the Pousada de Coloane.
Click here for more details and to register.
Macau Youth International Football Training Center
Macau Youth International and South America Soccer Macau linked up in 2021, turning two academies into one. The academy has launched a summer camp for ages 8-14 and regular summer classes for ages 3-13.
The former is a residential camp, where children stay at the Roosevelt hotel from 17 to 20 July. The four-day three-night camp will feature beach soccer, football training, team work training and other activities.
[See more: ‘I just want to be the best,’ says Macao footballer Zara Matos]
“It is a good opportunity for children to learn about group cooperation, mutual help and independence,” says head coach Ismael Ortega.
The academy’s regular summer classes also have an expanded schedule this year, with only Wednesdays off. Click on the links for more details about the summer camp or the summer course.
Macau Hang Sai Youth Football
The Hang Sai team competes in the Liga de Elite and its associated academy boasts coaches certified by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), as well as four friendly matches per week during the school year.
The club’s summer camp this year runs five days per week from Tuesdays to Sunday, for an hour per session. The camp will take place at the Roosevelt Hotel and the Fisherman’s Wharf Football Stadium, from July 1 to August 31 for members aged four to 12. Activities include training, games and friendly competitions.
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Hang Sai has not released a list of coaches for the summer program, but previous coaches at their academy have included Tainan City alumnus Masaya Tobari and former Hong Kong national football team player Hung Wing-Sing.
Further information can be found on the club’s official facebook page.
Tim Iec Soccer
Tim Iec plays in the Third Division of the Macau Football Association. Its summer program runs from July to August, with three classes per week of 1.5 hours each. The camp is open to children from ages of 5 to 10.
[See more: Macao footballer David Simões shares his experience with Shanghai Shenhua Football Club]
Tim Iec’s summer camps are coached by Guan Tin Wai, who is a level C certified coach by the AFC. Guan approaches the camps as an opportunity for students to build life skills that they can use both on and off the field.
“Through training, children’s confidence and ball skills are built up, and their ability to think and make decisions is exercised in the high-intensity of the game,” he said.
