Six Thai youth from the GLO STAR program began six months of training with Avispa Fukuoka, marking their start on the J.League football pathway.
On the evening of 15 January 2026, six Thai youth footballers from the GLO STAR project, selected through the GLO Cup 2025, took part in their first training session with Avispa Fukuoka's under-16 youth team, a leading club in the J.League. This session aimed to help them adapt physically and officially begin their training after arriving in Japan.
The six footballers include three under-13 players: Sornchai Pharunai, Krisada Buakajorn, and Irfan Dola.
The under-15 group consists of Pattarakorn Ieam-ampon, Klawatchar Duangklang, and Theerapol Khamklam.
The six Thai youth players arrived in Japan in the morning and participated in an orientation session with Inoue Takahiro, the Academy Director, and Iki Yusuke, the Academy Head Coach of Avispa Fukuoka. They were introduced to the training approach, team culture, and lifestyle as youth players at the club.
The first training session was held at the Fukuoka Football Center at 4:00 p.m. local time, where the players received a warm welcome from their teammates and coaching staff of Avispa Fukuoka's youth team amid a rigorous and well-structured training atmosphere consistent with J.League professional standards.
The GLO STAR project is part of the eight-a-side youth football tournament GLO Cup 2025, organized by the Government Lottery Office in cooperation with the Thai Football Development Foundation. Its goal is to provide talented youth nationwide an equal opportunity to showcase their abilities through a competitive selection process involving over 15,000 youths across seven regions of Thailand.
Following this intensive selection, six top youth players were chosen to train with Avispa Fukuoka for six months to gain international football experience and develop their potential toward a professional football career in the future. ✨