The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) has once again demonstrated its resolve to continuously develop women's game and increase its popularity in the country.
Last month at its headquarters in Bangkok, the association organised a two-day workshop on women's club licensing and capacity-building for administrators, aimed at 26 club representatives and coaches.
Simon Toselli, technical expert for women's football at Fifa, praised the association's commitment.
"I have to admire the organisation. Not only this time, but also throughout the last two years Fifa has been supporting the member association with many different programmes: Club licensing and league development [creation of a U16 and U17 competition, Women's Football Campaign, and capacity-building for administrators]," he said.
"Fifa also recognised the impact of the FAT's work by featuring images of some of these activities on-screen at the Fifa Women's Football Convention in Sydney in August."
For the FAT, it is essential to drive development at club level and raise the standard of clubs and leagues in women's football.
During the workshop, behind-the-scenes glimpses of the Fifa Women's World Cup 2023 and the AFC Women's Champions League were played out and included an exercise on how to set an appropriate budget for women's football.
The workshop participants also visited Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United, who offered the opportunity to observe a high-ranking club structure with a clearly defined strategy.
"It has been a true pleasure working with the Football Association of Thailand on establishing and implementing their club licence system for their women's league," said Fifa consultant Andres Portabella.
"I believe workshops like the one organised by the FAT in collaboration with Fifa play a crucial role in the continuous development of the women's football clubs in Thailand."
The workshop on capacity-building for administrators on the second day was tailored to the needs of the clubs and focused on equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and training to facilitate their daily work in the clubs.
It covered a range of topics, such as sponsorship in football and strengthening a global network of women's football staff off the pitch.
"For the FAT, it is essential to drive development at club level and raise the standard of clubs and leagues in Thai women's football," said Toselli.
"The workshop on the second day covered a range of topics, such as: Importance of having a strategy, grassroots development, safeguarding, sponsorship in football and strengthening a global network of women's football staff off the pitch."
The FAT also organised a women's football event in Ubon Ratchathani, introducing young girls to the sport and thus attracting new players to grassroots youth football.
A total of 240 girls aged between six and 14 from clubs and the community took part.
The girls were not only offered the opportunity to experience football up close but were also able to familiarise themselves with key topics such as health, nutrition and children's rights.
The FAT has organised six such events -- under the banner of the Fifa Women's Football Campaign development programme -- in 2023 alone with the aim of further developing football at grassroots level.
In turn, this expanded player pool and structured player pathway will build strong foundation and support the future Thai women's national teams.