KUCHING: Social Development and Urbanisation Ministry will support “meaningful programmes” for the development of football in the state.

The setting of its state taskforce development committee, chaired by Ik Pahon Joyik from the ministry, is one such move to get more youths to play the game.

The initiative, the first of its kind under the ministry, was mooted by former Football Association of Sarawak (FAS) official Daud Dato Aba, now a taskforce member.

At a press conference to announce the two-month training stint of three Sarawak players at Hartlepool, England, Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom said the taskforce had an important role, taking care of youths in the 17-18 years old bracket.

“We will support any meaningful programmes and, through the youth development committee, hope to produce calibre players by providing those in U-17 and U-18 groups a good grounding and even jobs,” Mawan assured.

On the three players — Joseph Kalang Tie, 21, Shahrol Saperi, 24, and Zamri Morshidi, 25, — to be based at English League One side Hartlepool, Mawan said the intention was to improve them both technically and mentally.

He said the two-month training stint, a programme initiated by last season’s FAS official Zuraimi Sabki, was sponsored by Global Process System (GPS), the main sponsor of the Sarawak Super League team last season.