SINGAPORE - Young people interested in giving back through sport can now do so through Play It Forward, an initiative launched by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Grace Fu on Friday.

Backed by Sport Singapore (SportSG) and the National Youth Council, it will equip youths with the necessary knowledge and skills to become a volunteer coaching assistant at the Active SG Sports Academies and Clubs, starting with the new ActiveSG Football Academy.

These volunteers will get the chance to be mentored by established senior coaches for a year, helping to contribute to a nationwide football programme that will give young boys and girls the chance to learn and play football.

The initiative was launched at Velocity@Novena, in the latest engagement session as part of the SGfuture dialogues. The initiative is largely inspired by the dialogues, where sports volunteerism and the engagement of youth through sport emerged as a pet topic.

Said Ms Fu: "Building on these ideas, these participants have developed a Play It Forward initiative to train volunteers who can help boost the coaching scene in Singapore. This effort is highly commendable, and shows a way forward in how we can develop more programmes together for Singaporeans and Singapore."

The SGfuture dialogues were launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in November last year, a community engagement exercise where citizens gather to help "write the next chapter of the Singapore Story" with an eye on SG100.

Youths from the age of 16 are eligible to sign up for Play It Forward. The first intake will undergo interviews with ActiveSG Football Academy principal Aleksandar Duric before beginning the certification courses and workshops.

Said SportSG chief executive officer Lim Teck Yin: "As ActiveSG rolls out more programmes for our children and youth through its academies and clubs, volunteers will play a crucial role in building capacity to enhance the quality of these programmes."

To register interest for Play It Forward, visit www.myactivesg.com/play-it-forward (http://www.myactivesg.com/play-it-forward)