SINGAPORE - Aspiring young Singaporean footballers now have the chance to hone their craft with a European football club.

Organised by Malaysia-based telco Astro Kasih and supported by StarHub and the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), Astro Kem Bola is open to Singaporean boys and girls aged 10 to 12.

Now in its fifth edition, this is the first time Astro Kem Bola will be held in Singapore.

Previous overseas training stints have been conducted with Cardiff City and West Ham United.

The programme consists of three phases, starting with open trials in Singapore and Malaysia. The Singapore leg of the trials will take place at Jalan Besar Stadium this weekend (July 9 and 10).

Sixty-four of the best participants will then progress to Phase Two in September, when they will attend a five-day advanced training camp in Kuala Lumpur where 16 boys and 16 girls will be selected for overseas training.

The third and final phase will see the selected players embark on a 10-day overseas training programme at the end of the year with a professional football club in Europe. The club will be announced at a later date.

Said S-League chief executive officer Lim Chin: "The objective of Astro Kem Bola is in line with FAS and S-League's objective in providing more opportunities for youths to play football and providing them the platform to play and learn the game in a professional way and building a foundation towards unearthing future talents."

Interested participants can register at astrokasih.org/kembola to attend the open trials on July 9 and 10 at Jalan Besar Stadium.

Online registration closes at 10pm on July 7. Walk-in registrations are welcome, subject to the availability of slots.