There may be no other sport that brings people together like soccer. Soccer, better known as football, is one of the biggest sports in the world. Popular amongst adults and children alike, soccer is an international phenomenon where people from all walks of life and ages come together and share their passion. In line with Monitor ERP’s continuous sense of responsibility to contribute to society, it is also an opportunity for Monitor to embark on their next CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiative — one that can truly give a positive impact on the local community.

Monitor ERP announces a collaboration with Soccer Experience, a multi-service football training academy in Tanjung Bungah, Penang. With experienced coaches and an inclusive environment, Soccer Experience provides soccer facilities and platforms for all ages to train, play, and have fun.

Giving back to the local community

With inclusivity as one of the top priorities, Monitor decided to make a financial contribution to Soccer Experience with a mission that aims to promote the healthy growth of kids through sports. 

Monitor believes that soccer can bind people together. The project with Soccer Experience not only values children but the community as a whole —giving opportunities to everyone regardless of race, culture, nationality, or religion to join.

Monitor reached out to Martin Tierney, from Soccer Experience. Martin was a professional football player and is now a professional-level coach with many years of coaching experience. His journey in coaching and football services with Soccer Experience began about 20 years ago. 

“I teach football for kids, young adults, and even adult professional teams,” says Martin. “I have a wide range of clients from corporate teams to amateur footballers. I also host football camps and trainings.”

Martin started coaching football to his own kids and their friends after the lockdown was partially lifted, at a field area located in Tanjung Bungah. “At first, we had no proper facility to play, coach, and motivate the kids sportingly,” adds Martin. “After a while, more people and schools came to join our coaching sessions, however the facilities were in a limited and poor condition. That’s why we decided to invest and build a new Soccer Experience facility in Tanjung Bungah.”

As sports is a universal language, Monitor and Soccer Experience share the same values of using sports as a thread to weave people of different backgrounds together into a community — and what better way to accomplish that than through Malaysia’s most beloved sport? 

Through football, everyone could play as one. In Malaysia, kids and adults have always found time to play football either in the evenings or on weekends. However, in recent years, it has been difficult for people to go outside and enjoy their beloved game as the pandemic curtailed freedom of movement.

“Daniel and I share the same vision; to get kids playing outside again,” says Martin. “After the lockdown, people are delighted to go outside. Children’s noses are pressed against little rectangular screens all day as they haven't been going out for a long time, connecting with the local community in the form of people or nature. They become accustomed to the participation in a digital world rather than the physical one. We believe children can be just as influential as parents. A child can influence parents’ behavior by teaching them new knowledge and skills, leading to internalized and lasting changes in the values and behavior of the parents. That is the driving force for us to make Soccer Experience something beneficial for the community.”

Now that sporting activities are allowed again, Soccer Experience can get back into full gear and encourage even more kids, especially the local teams, to play. Soccer Experience is now looking to increase the accessibility of the weekend leagues to all members of society. 

Since last November, Monitor has been supporting the weekend leagues to help getting more local kids to participate in football - making it more affordable to partake, giving opportunities to members of the local community that have a lesser chance at sport to celebrate the love of football. It is a testament to Monitor’s practice of creating a responsible cultural influence on the community in which it operates.

The future plan

“After the lockdown, people haven't been going outside, they stopped exercising, which may lead to diabetes, heart diseases, and other illnesses,” says Martin. “The more money we can raise, the more kids can play.”

Through Martin and his team's continuous efforts, we can once again see joy in the children and young adults’ face, having fun running around the field, enjoying the sun, and the innocence of youth. This helps promote and elevate the awareness of living a healthy lifestyle and improve mental wellbeing in the local community.

Soccer Experience looks to further encourage the development of the local soccer scene and continuously educate more children in the future. Both entities aspire to impart professional soccer training experience to the kids and local community, equipped with world-class facilities and accessible leagues, that many can certainly benefit from training and educating themselves in the sport of football.

Another problem Martin looks to solve is the lack of a proper and safe football field to play on. Suitable football fields are scarce and the ones that are available are not maintained properly and did not provide a safe-playing environment.

“I bought artificial grass from FIFA-approved manufacturers, to provide a better surface to play football,” adds Martin. “Cheap surfaces will ruin in a week or two. It is crucial to create a safe space for children and adults alike.”

With the challenge of having a proper place to play football, Martin made it his mission to provide the best facilities and experience for all football enthusiasts. Martin hopes more local teams of all ages and backgrounds will come together to play and make full use of Soccer Experience’s sophisticated facilities that the team has put considerable effort into acquiring and building. He hopes that these efforts will not only translate in a small way as a force of positivity for the participating kids and families but can be a great platform to holistically help children and young people get active and healthy, increasing self-esteem, improving concentration, coordination, and learning, and allow them to have a positive impact in their communities.

Martin also believes that these efforts are more than just about football or training. “It’s about cultivating the right mentality”, says Martin. “It's about letting kids have something to look forward to, not just training, but to have a game to play at the end of the week. It gives them something to look forward to.” Martin and his team are now planning to start a league in the last quarter of 2022 — allowing even more local youths to join in the fun every week.

Monitor ERP’s corporate values

Staying true to Monitor’s three core values; Committed – Long-term – Down-to-earth, this contribution is not simply a one-time soccer training experience for the kids, rather it is part of a long-term commitment together with Soccer Experience.

Monitor ERP always put its people first. If the people working for the company are happy and taken care of, they, too, would strive to make the company better. This is what Monitor wants to emulate with local key stakeholders like Soccer Experience — to take care of and enable its people in the society in which it operates on.

The collaboration with Soccer Experience captures the Monitor Spirit that resembles the true values of a hybrid culture of both Swedish and Malaysian's commitment to the community.

Conclusion

Over the years, companies all over the world have shifted their focus towards one primary goal — sustainability. Therefore, companies are now putting ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and CSR (corporate social responsibility) at the forefront of their business values. Companies are now making tremendous progress in improving their communities and the world beyond — and Monitor is no exception.

Monitor will continue to play its role in educating and empowering manufacturers they come in touch with every day, to move beyond just profitability, and to understand the important role that ESG has in an ever-changing business landscape. Adding this dimension to their business decisions and actions, and transforming ESG into their single biggest priority.