Seenigama Sports Academy Stars Go International

Sporting talent is receiving national and international recognition, as young people benefit from the training, life skills and community work programmes of the Seenigama Sports Academy in Seenigama.

Managed by the Foundation of Goodness, with ongoing support from the Australian Sports Outreach Program, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Surrey County Cricket Club and Marlylebone Cricket Club as well as infrastructure such as the 25m Bryan Adams Swimming Pool, this is a model for sports development throughout rural Sri Lanka. 1400 children and youth participate in the programmes every year, and some very special talent is being revealed.

Seenigama Netball Squad captain, Neranja Madushani from Ambalangoda has been selected into the Sri Lanka U-19 (all island) provisional squad of 30 players in training for a tour of Australia in June 2010. This is the first time that anyone from FOG has represented netball at national level. She will be representing the Sri Lanka schools u 19 team touring Malaysia from 29 July for a week.

Neranja is 17 years old and is working towards her A-Levels at G/Prajapathi Balika M.V. She loves sport and plays Netball, Athletics and Volleyball in her spare time. She has been playing netball since she was 11. She also loves reading books and her future plans are to play in the Sri Lankan Netball Team, learn well & do a good job.

Neranja suffered along with her father, who is a fisherman and her mother from the tsunami and her parents are extremely proud and very happy that their daughter has been given this opportunity to go to Malaysia & represent Sri Lanka. Last year she was not selected for the Australian tour therefore she was very sad about that, but now she is determined to be a sub for the Sri Lankan team next year.

Dulanjali added a second 6 mile sea swim title this year as well and was rewarded with a all expenses paid coaching stint in China for a period of one month in
May by the Sri Lanka Swimming Federation. According to her the experience gained by this is immense.

The u15 Malaysian Cricket Tour is back for the second year. 14 cricketers and 5 officials will tour from 29 July to 02 August to defend the KAF Super 8s Tournament title won last year. A unique feature this year is that we are taking 4 extra players who will represent the Yarra Valley team from Australia, managed by David Crusz, the main sponsor of the whole tour. 24 teams (4 groups with 6 teams in each) will participate this year.

Kushil said “We are on course to somehow produce a national player at every sport in the future from the Seenigama Sports Academy. Sport is key to building skills and life chances of children from rural villages. The work being done at the Sports Academy to build sporting excellence and increase participation from all over the south is starting to pay off with these massive achievements from our your people.”

“Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently”

2010.08.10