Nutwadee Pram-nak, 14, dreams of playing football with the skill and flair of the South American greats. “I prefer Brazilian style,” she said with a smile after training at the Thai-Japan Youth Centre Stadium.
A member of the under-14 national squad, Nutwadee is among a new generation of girls hoping to make a career in football. Women’s football is enjoying a surge in popularity in Thailand, thanks in large part to the success of the national team, which is on its way to the World Cup final in Canada in June.
But before Nutwadee can become Thailand's female answer to Neymar, there will be a lot of practice.
Nutwadee is part of the sports academy programme at Bangkok Sport School, which holds training sessions at both ends of the school day. And the future women's sports stars are among the school's priorities: at the Din Daeng campus there are 194 girls to the 232 boys.
The school arranged a special training session for 45 students this month with Joanna Lohman, a midfielder for Washington Spirit FC and former member of the US national team.
“I Googled to see how she played; she was a captain,” Nutwadee said.
Another of the recruits, Janejira Bubpha, 18, is part of the national under-19 team and has made several appearances on the international stage. Janejira was keen to learn all she could from Lohman, saying: “I want to play as well as the captain.”
Lohman, 32, spent two hours putting 45 female students through their paces and was pleased with what she saw.
“I am impressed to see them play,” Lohman said. “Their tactical skills and their technique are impressive … as is their ability to control the ball.”
Lohman arranged the clinic for the last day of her first holiday in Thailand. While she did get to relax by the sea in Chumphon, when she arrived in Bangkok she couldn’t resist having a kick in a pick-up match.
“I was the only woman in the game. There was a lot of sweat … I have enjoyed my trip,” she said.
“I am a sport envoy … I want to share my knowledge and passion.”
A lot of the differences she saw between players from the US and Thailand, however, boil down to culture. “Women tend to have a lot of obligations at their house. They spend time in the kitchen, and not enough time on the soccer field.”
COMING OF AGE
Even though Thailand does not have a professional women's football league in the same way as men do, the sport has been growing strongly. The spectacular performance of the women's national team in recent years has brought attention to the sport, which will no doubt only increase when they play in the World Cup final.
Bangkok Sports School, a specialised education programme >>
>> for aspiring athletes run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, started running female football classes five years ago in response to its surging popularity.
School director Suthon Komalasen said there had already been success, pointing to Thaneekan Daengda’s signing for Ostersunds DFF, a professional team in Sweden’s second division. Thaneekan is the younger sister of Teerasil Daengda, who last month cancelled his contract with Almeria in the Spanish La Liga League to return to Muang Thong United.
Mr Suthon said he expected many of the girls who trained with Lohman would end up in international professional leagues. The school has already competed in international tournaments in Ostersunds and Gothenburg in Sweden. “We did not win the championships but it is a good experience for them to play internationally,” he said.
Level playing field: Joanna Lohman runs drills with the Thai players, who showed ‘impressive’ technique.
ON THE FIELD
Under the sports academy programme, the students stay at boarding school facilities provided by the BMA. The students get up about 5.30am for training, and begin regular schooling at 8am. After 3.30pm, they return to the pitch for training until 6pm.
Bangkok Sports School has 730 students in three campuses. The Din Daeng campus is the largest, and operates in conjunction with Vichutis School, using the training facilities at the Thai-Japan Youth Centre Stadium. A further 220 students are at Wat Thongsamrit School in Min Buri, while 76 students are at Ban Na Luang School in Bang Mod.
“We have to test their aptitude for each sport that they select," Mr Suthon said. "If they select football, they have to show how to control the ball to pass the test.”
Among the graduates are Peerapat Notechaiya and Tanaboon Kasarat, both national footballers who also play for Bec-Tero Sasana. Mr Suthon also said with pride that football sensation Chanathip Songkrasin, widely known as Messi J, attended during his middle school years.
Jaruwan Kongsorn, 15, is among the current students who are in national youth squads. She moved to the capital from Nakhon Si Thammarat after one of her friends recommended the school. “I love playing football. And my parents supported it,” she said. Jaruwan said her idol is Kanjana Sang-ngern, the captain of the Thai women’s team.
Janejira also joined the academy with the goal of becoming a professional. “I started with futsal and then I shifted to football,” she said. “Both require similar skills.”
The school had made her more disciplined. “I had a chance to practice things that I like. I also have a chance to develop myself.”
Jaruwan, the 15-year-old midfielder, said at the end of training: “I have learned how to manipulate the ball by dragging the ball behind the heel and other basic techniques.”
LIKE A CHAMPION
Despite the language barrier, Lohman showed the students how to play like a champion. “I am a big believer in practice. It takes 10,000 hours of practice to be excellent,” Lohman said.
During the training session, Lohman asked the Thai students to show their skills with the ball one by one. A US embassy staff member helped her communicate with the students. At the end, she divided the students into two teams for a half-hour match. Lohman described the students as “very tactical” and “comfortable juggling the ball”.
Lohman has since returned to Washington to prepare for the American National Women’s Soccer League season, which kicks off next month. But for all the midfielder’s athletic prowess and championship wins, Lohman is also known for something else: her decision to come out as gay.
While only a small number of professional athletes have come out as lesbians, Lohman said gay women were generally more accepted in sport than gay men. Her family and teammates have been supportive, yet she said the decision to go public was still “a big step”.
“We need more players to feel more comfortable with it,” she said. “I am a big believer in equal rights. Living an authentic life is difficult. But it is important because it brings happiness to be who you are. I always try to be a pioneer in what is meant to be who you are.
“[My family] just want me to be happy because that’s who I am. They understand what I wanted to be.”
Combining her passion for equal rights and desire to contribute as a sports envoy, Lohman helped found GO! Athletes, an organisation that creates safe spaces for LGBT student athletes. “I am passionate about the issue. It is wonderful that I have this platform to reach out to people,” she said.
This, however, was not the main focus of her clinic in Bangkok. On that day, it was all about kicking goals.
The students did not talk to Lohman much after the session because they were too shy to speak English. But they lined up for Lohman’s autograph and to take photographs with her. Asked how to further develop women’s football in Thailand, Lohman answered: “More resources and international exposure to give more attention to women’s soccer.”
Otherwise, given their enthusiasm, there is every reason to believe the next generation of Thai talent could take on the world. Their smaller bodies, compared to Western athletes, would not necessarily be a disadvantage, she said.
“I am not a giant either,” Lohman said, pointing to her lean body and 165cm height. “Size does not matter.” n