New shoes, One more step forward
The story of the support behind Pattani's young futsal team (Thailand)
On a futsal court, the distance between the two touchlines is only a matter of metres.
But in youth sport, the distance between earning a place in a competition and being able to travel there and compete can sometimes feel much greater.
That was the situation facing the men’s futsal team from Pattani Industrial and Community Education College, one of the Southern Region’s representatives at the R-CHEEWA GAMES 2026 Final Round.
Their place had been earned through training, commitment and performances on the court. Yet their journey nearly ended there, as financial limitations initially prevented the team from receiving approval to travel to the national competition.
A Place Earned, but Not Yet Reached
For young athletes, representing their college, province or region involves far more than simply having their team’s name entered into a competition.
Behind that opportunity are hours of training after class, personal sacrifices and the efforts of players, coaches and staff who have built the team one step at a time.
The players from Pattani Industrial and Community Education College had done their part. They performed on the court and secured their place as one of the Southern Region’s representatives.
However, following the regional qualifiers, it was revealed that the team might have to withdraw because of budget constraints and the lack of approval to travel to the R-CHEEWA GAMES 2026 Final Round.
On an official document, the words “withdraw from the competition” may appear straightforward.
For the young players involved, however, they would have meant seeing their journey come to an end before they had even been given the chance to step onto the court in the final stage.
After their story became public, several parties began working together to find a way forward. The players and staff eventually received the welcome news that they had been granted permission to travel and compete in the place they had earned.
The first obstacle had been overcome.
But receiving permission to make the journey did not mean that every part of the team’s preparation was complete.
Passing the Ball from Beyond the Touchline
The Pok Warong page, which had followed the team’s situation and helped bring their story to a wider audience, continued coordinating additional support for the players.
That was how the story reached SoccerGate, a Thai importer and distributor of football boots, futsal shoes and sporting equipment, as well as Ortuseight, a sports brand from Indonesia.
Together, SoccerGate and Ortuseight provided the team with Ortuseight futsal shoes and playing kits, helping the players prepare for their journey to the national competition.
Shoes and kits are familiar sights to anyone watching a match.
For a youth team working with limited resources, however, every piece of equipment carries a cost. Those costs can become an additional responsibility for the players and their families.
The support provided on this occasion was therefore not only about supplying sporting equipment.
It also removed some of the concerns surrounding the team’s preparations, allowing the players to return their attention to what mattered most:
Training and getting ready to compete.
From the National Team to the Beginning of a Young Player’s Journey
Ortuseight already has a connection with Thai futsal through several leading figures who represent the brand.
They include “Coach Hamee” Rakphol Sainetngam, head coach of the Thailand men’s national futsal team; Thailand goalkeeper “Donl” Theerawat Kaewwilai; and “Kong” Atippong Munphlai of Hongyen Thakam Futsal Club, a Thailand international who was named the Thai Futsal League’s best player for the 2025 season.
From established figures at national-team level to young athletes who are only beginning their journeys, the support for the team from Pattani reflects another important side of sporting development.
A strong sporting community cannot be built by supporting only those who have already reached the highest level.
It must also create spaces in which young players can begin, compete and discover how far their abilities might take them.
We do not yet know whether any of the players from Pattani Industrial and Community Education College will go on to become professional futsal players or represent Thailand in the future.
Some may reach that level.
Others may choose different paths after completing their education.
Whatever their eventual destinations,
what they deserve today is the opportunity to compete in the place they worked so hard to earn.
New Shoes for the Journey Ahead
From August 12–15, 2026, the men’s futsal team from Pattani Industrial and Community Education College will travel from Thailand’s deep south to Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus for the R-CHEEWA GAMES 2026 Final Round.
Once the opening whistle sounds, the story on the court will be decided by the players themselves.
Sponsors and those who helped coordinate the support cannot run in their place, score the goals for them or guarantee that the journey will end with a medal.
What they can do is help a group of young players arrive at the competition as prepared as possible.
Supporting youth sport does not always have to begin with creating champions.
Sometimes, it begins by noticing someone who needs a little support—and helping them continue a journey they have already worked hard to begin.
So that their path does not have to end before they have even set off.
Our thanks to SoccerGate and Ortuseight for becoming another small but meaningful part of this journey, supporting the young players and helping Thai futsal continue moving forward.
