"Coach Wang" believes the Prime Minister's Youth CUP football tournament answers the dream-chasing path for Thai children, developing talent from grassroots to the professional level.
The Prime Minister's Youth CUP Football competition for the 2026/2027 season advances as a full-scale project aiming to develop youth athletes from grassroots to professional levels. This presents a significant opportunity for many young people to pursue their football dreams and become professional players.
"Coach Wang" Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul, head coach of Thailand's U23 national team, views this as a vital opportunity for children and youth of various age groups to showcase their skills and even elevate their level of play.
"The Prime Minister's Youth CUP is a tournament that deeply reaches the grassroots, going down to district levels, broadening opportunities for players. This event is very beneficial as it serves as a platform for each age group—we have three categories: U14, U16, and U18. This tournament allows athletes to test their skills, then return to develop and build their future," Coach Wang began.
"Having competitions helps children develop and shows coaches how players make decisions under pressure. Within matches, many aspects arise—errors, areas needing improvement. Coaches must observe whether players learn from mistakes to improve themselves. When they do, those athletes become higher quality. Having quality players benefits youth national teams, professional clubs, and academies."
"Certainly, having many teams participate is positive, as it spreads football across the country, reaching children directly. Previously, we might have seen talented children concentrated in only a few academies. But if the number or quality of matches is insufficient, that can affect development."
"I want to invite academies, schools, and parents to support children joining this competition because it is a good event. I hope everyone participates, practices, and sees this as an important opportunity to become quality players in Thai football."
The Prime Minister's Youth CUP youth football competition is now open for registration from today until 31 October 2026 via the website pmycfootball.in.th.
THE FUTURE STARTS HERE Every dream begins here — Prime Minister’s Youth Cup. Follow the PMYC U14, U16, and U18 youth football competitions and send your support at FB: FAThailand https://www.facebook.com/FootballAssociationOfThailand/ and Thai Youth Football https://www.facebook.com/share/19W4TPCgpk/