Muscat – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth (MCSY) launched a programme called ‘Enhancing Community Teams’ on Monday aimed at strengthening the social, economic and cultural role of community sports teams and supporting sustainable volunteer work across the sultanate.
The initiative seeks to establish an institutional framework that enables long-term development in targeted governorates, while improving the performance and sustainability of community teams.
The launch was held under the patronage of H E Basil bin Ahmed al Rawas, Undersecretary for Sports and Youth Affairs in MCSY.
Funded and strategically supported by OQ Exploration and Production, the programme focuses on developing administrative and financial capacities within community sports teams, empowering young talent and improving planning, organisational practices and resource management. The goal is to transform volunteer initiatives into structured and sustainable community-based models that deliver social value.
Faris Mohammed al Aufi, Director of the Youth Programmes Department at MCSY, said the programme aligns with the ministry’s objectives to empower Omani youth, strengthen community teams and integrate these with sports clubs to support a broader youth, sports and economic system.
He explained that the programme will be implemented in several phases, starting with training and workshops on management, governance and sustainability, followed by field engagement and technical support tailored to teams in their respective governorates.
Subsequent phases will focus on building partnerships with government entities, private sector institutions and local businesses, before teams move to project implementation and evaluation based on economic, social, volunteer and cultural impact.
Youth leadership development and financial sustainability are key pillars of the programme, with training provided in budgeting, income diversification and long-term planning to ensure continuity of community activities.
