The Cambodian Basketball Federation will soon open the country’s first academy to keep pace with the growing popularity of the game among youth, according to the CBF vice president.

“We want to take a cue from the Football Federation and intensify our grassroots development program by opening our doors to all young players and encourage them to join the new academy’’ said Our Sethycheat, who is a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Education,

Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and general director of Cambodian Sports.

The CBF is currently running two Youth programs involving the National U-15 and U-19 teams with as many as 23 players training every day at the National Olympic Stadium.

But shortage of basketball courts has often come in the way of CBF providing young players opportunities to hone their skills on a regular basis.

That problem is now being addressed by the MoEYS which has taken up the task of renovating the outdoor courts at the Olympic Stadium complex. Once ready, those courts will be made available for CBF’s youth development program.

Individuals aspiring to join the CBF’s academy would have to sign up for a small monthly fee while the Federation would provide them with referees and coaches for training.

The facility will also be open to clubs and schools for a fee through CBF bookings. The new courts are expected to be completed before the start of next month’s National Games.