Coaches deliver football programme in Thailand

The Club has delivered football clinics to 3,000 children in Thailand as part of a groundbreaking football coaching programme which is delivered in partnership with AIA, our Global Principal Partner.

The programme, which operates in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, consists of two fully-qualified members of our Global Football Development coaching team based permanently in Asia to work with players of all levels, nurturing local talent and promoting AIA’s initiative to encourage healthier, longer, better lives.

Our coaches Anton Blackwood and Shaun Harris have helped AIA deliver their Thailand Youth Football Development Programme where they ran football coaching clinics in Chiangmai, Chonburi and Bangkok to 3,000 children from 300 different schools across Thailand.

As part of the programme, our coaches identify talented players and help to create a pathway for them to progress to a professional level by holding elite training camps at an AIA sports facility in Phuket, Thailand.

Phoomthai Singchai, Wiranya Kwaenkasikam and Chananchida Longmalud all impressed our coaches with their natural ability to play the game and positive attitude, and have been selected to attend the next elite training camp.

Since attending the coaching clinics, Wiranya Kwaenkasikam and Chananchida Longmalud have competed in the Thai National Women’s Youth Cup and Phoomthai Singchai now plays regularly for Chiangmai’s Academy team.

Anton Blackwood, Global Football Development coach, said: “We have been really impressed with the technical ability and determination of the children we have coached in Thailand. The players are some of the most talented we have seen in Asia so far. We look forward to welcoming them back to our elite training camp next month and helping them develop their game and reach the best of their ability.”

To encourage healthier, longer, better lives, while in Thailand, the coaches led education, nutrition and leadership workshops for 100 AIA staff members, ran football coaching sessions for children at an orphanage and helped serve meals to children at Father Ray’s Foundation in Pattaya, Chonburi.

Find out more about the Club’s coaching courses in Asia here.