Representing Malaysia is a dream for Dhaniyah

Football clinic using Okada Method shines light on strategic thinking onto young participants

Space U8 in Shah Alam, Malaysia was the latest stop in Mitsubishi Electric’s Football Clinic held in conjunction with the upcoming ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup™ 2024.

The clinic was helmed by Isao Dobashi from J3 League side FC Imabari guided by the ‘Okada Method’, a methodology created by Takeshi Okada who led Japan to their first FIFA World Cup finals appearance in 1998.

Identifying key features that are important to players, the methodology invites critical and strategic thinking among players in order to achieve victory in an efficient manner.

One of the participants was 12-year-old Dhaniyah Sofea binti Sahrul Azwan from Aurora Kickers Football Club said after the session that the football clinic will leave a lasting impression on her.

“I enjoyed it a lot because I get to meet new friends and also learn new things,” said Dhaniyah. “There are some things I’ve done before and some which I haven’t.

“We learned how to control the ball. The one where we were taught Option 1, Option 2, Option 3A and Option 3B on how the right method to pass to a team mate is really helpful.”

Dhaniyah also has the ambition of growing up to be a footballer and dreams of one day being able to put on the Malaysian jersey and do her country proud.

“I hope that one day I can be a player for my country, Malaysia and be able to show my quality on the international stage,” she added.