Founder’s Letter
My name is Fauzii, and I am the founder of Playground.
Over the past year, I have poured my life savings, my time, and my heart into creating basketball opportunities for young people in Cambodia.
Today, I want to share my story, our vision, and why Playground exists.
More importantly, I want to share why I believe this mission is worth fighting for.
Because the reality is simple: I can no longer continue this journey alone.
Someone recently asked me, “Would you rather speak or die?”
My answer was simple.
I choose to speak.
Before I tell you where we are going, I want to show you what we have already achieved.
Together with our volunteers, coaches, players, and supporters, we have introduced basketball to children at Angkor Kids Center in Siem Reap, donated basketballs and a basketball ring so they could continue playing after we left, and helped many of them experience the game for the very first time.
We travelled to Kampot to run free basketball camps for local players and later hosted them in Phnom Penh, giving them opportunities to compete, learn, and connect with a wider basketball community.
Through our League Player Ambassador (LPA) Scholarship Program, we provided 30 young athletes with free access to SEAJBL competitions, coaching, training, and development opportunities for an entire year.
None of these initiatives were profitable.
That was never the point.
They were about creating opportunities, building communities, and proving that every child deserves access to sport regardless of their background or financial circumstances.
Basketball has been a constant part of my life.
I was born in Brunei and grew up in Australia. For more than twenty years I have volunteered, coached, managed, administered, and operated basketball programs across schools, clubs, and private organisations.
In late 2024, while working in Singapore, I was made redundant.
For many people, that would have been the moment to find another job and move on.
Instead, I chose a different path.
When I was fifteen years old, I bought a second-hand book from a thrift shop. It cost almost nothing, but its title has stayed with me for the rest of my life.
“I can’t accept not trying.”
Perhaps some people will call me foolish for embarking on this journey without millions of dollars already sitting in the bank. Others might call me passionate for chasing a dream.
The truth is much simpler than that.
I am afraid of failing.
But I have always believed that trying and failing is better than never trying at all.
That belief is one of the reasons Playground exists today.
During my time in Southeast Asia, I saw talented young people who loved basketball but lacked access to courts, equipment, coaching, competition, and pathways to help them develop.
I saw communities full of passion and potential but limited resources.
I believed that if we could provide basketballs, courts, coaches, competitions, and development pathways, we could inspire young people to pursue something greater than themselves.
For some, basketball becomes the reason they wake up at 5am before school.
It becomes a source of discipline, confidence, friendship, opportunity, and purpose.
When I arrived in Cambodia, my team and I approached schools, basketball stakeholders, government-operated facilities, and private venues. We proposed affordable and free grassroots programs designed to introduce children to basketball before they chose other sporting pathways.
More often than not, we were met with silence rather than collaboration.
So we decided to build something ourselves.
That decision became Playground.
Playground was never intended to be just another basketball court.
It was created to be a community hub.
A place where young people could safely gather, train, compete, learn, socialise, and belong.
A place where basketball could be accessible rather than exclusive.
A place where opportunity was not determined by income.
Today, Playground has become one of the largest publicly available sheltered basketball facilities in Phnom Penh. It provides 24-hour access, multiple basketball rings, structured training programs, competitions, youth development opportunities, and a home for players from Cambodia and around the world.
It is not the most luxurious facility in the city.
We do not have major investors, corporate ownership groups, or unlimited resources.
Our walls are simple.
Our budget is limited.
But our purpose has always been clear.
When I founded SEAJBL in 2025, two words appeared throughout our vision again and again:
Community.
Teamwork.
Those words remain at the heart of everything we do today.
Playground exists to provide a safe, enjoyable, and educational environment where young people can develop not only as basketball players, but as people.
It exists for local families.
It exists for expatriates who call Cambodia home.
It exists for anyone who believes that sport can change lives.
The reality is that this mission is bigger than any one person.
Basketball has given me friendships, opportunities, life lessons, and experiences I could never have imagined when I first picked up a basketball as a child.
Everything we have built has been an attempt to give those same opportunities to others.
Whether you are a player, parent, coach, volunteer, sponsor, investor, donor, educator, or simply someone who believes in the power of community, I would love to hear from you.
If you believe every child deserves access to sport.
If you believe communities are stronger when young people have positive places to belong.
If you believe Cambodia deserves greater opportunities for its next generation.
Then I invite you to join us.
Thank you for taking the time to read the Playground story.
Welcome to the Playground community.
