Inter Milan soccer clinic for Phuket

PHUKET CITY: A soccer clinic affiliated to top Italian side Inter Milan and featuring former Thai national players will be held in Phuket from December 4 to 6.

Pimkamol Prasertwongse, Managing Director of Inter Campus Thai, a soccer academy set up by Inter Milan, said, “We expect that the island will be at the center of the sport’s development in southern Thailand. The clinic is a first step; if it’s successful there’s a good chance that a camp will be established here by next year.”

She continued, “Thailand lacks the knowledge to develop the sport and we need to train players from an early age. Thai footballers cannot at present compete with Europeans and a long-term plan is needed to develop soccer training with Thailand’s youth.“

K. Pimkamol told the Gazette that students will get the opportunity to learn with Inter Campus’s head coach, Damir Cavka, and also with former Thai national squad members Sombat Leekamnerdthai and Chalor Hongskajorn.

She said, “Inter Campus Thai has already been launched in Bangkok at the Rajamangala National Stadium. The camp was opened eight months ago at a cost of 10 million baht, but the cost of setting up a camp here would not be as high. Phuket is the second location we’ve picked and we will not consider another camp until this one is up to speed.”

Currently, Inter Campus Thai has 200 members in Phuket and Inter Campus Thai has already looked at several football fields for their suitability for training.

“For December’s clinic, there will be 14 squads with a maximum of 18 players per squad. It is expected that the cost will be 1,000 baht per person,” said K. Pimkamol.

“In the camp in Bangkok, we train two days during the week and one day at the weekend, a total of 12 hours a month. The course offers regular, weekend and intensive summer-camp programs at beginner, intermediate and advance level.”

Young Thai players will also have an opportunity to become professional footballers through the camps – Inter Milan will select five Thai youths to go to the club’s famed ground, San Siro in Italy, for soccer training.

For further information contact Inter Campus Thai at Tel: 02-3692753-9.