subject: Thai 7s - Phuket As Thailand's Top Soccer 7s Destination [print this page] Phuket, the famous tourist hub in Thailand, is not simply an island where the beaches and vibrant night-life can be experienced by visitors, but also a top sport destination. Each year, hundreds of overseas football players from many countries participate in the three favored International soccer seven-a-side tournaments.
These tournaments provide a socially competitive environment for soccer players who wish to compete with the right attitude and spirit. Only foreign teams who love soccer participate in the events in not only an atmosphere of competition, but also a flavor of friendship. There is no money to be won, and the only prizes in the Open and Masters categories are Cup, Plate and Bowl trophies, together with medallions.
The oldest of the three football tournaments, which is the "Phuket International Soccer 7s", started in 2003 with 10 teams and has grown as the biggest soccer 7s event in the region. Soccer 7s teams from South-East Asia composed of foreigners of many nationalities and also teams from Australia, Africa and Europe meet together for a two-day tournament each November.
Due to the growing demand of teams wanting to participate, a second tournament, the "Andaman Soccer 7s", was created in 2006. This event, held on two days, has been very successful and is going in the direction of its predecessor with additional teams joining every year. It is organized the next week-end after the "Phuket Soccer 7s" in November.
The newest of these tournaments is the "Phuket Spicy Soccer 7s" and started in February 2009. This tournament is also organized on a 2-day period and was launched to offer an alternative to teams that can't participate in the two other November soccer 7s tournaments. It is expected that more and more soccer teams will attend the second edition in 2010, and the following years.
Tournaments are played in accordance to the FIFA laws of the game and held on a top quality green pitch with International and local professional referees. During the years many different outstanding playing venues have been used: "Karon Stadium", "British Curriculum International School", "Phuket Rajabhat University", and "Phuket FIFA Tsunami Football Center".
In addition to football, soccer participants are also entertained during two night parties. All teams, referees, sponsors and organizers meet together during a Welcome Party in a friendly atmosphere, the night before kick-off on the next day. They will be together two evenings later for the Awards Party where they will enjoy the performance of a live band, and a Thai buffet dinner.
During the years these Thailand tournaments have been welcoming some 300 teams from more than 25 countries. Ex-pro players from the Australia National team, French and English football professionals have also participated in the regular tournaments.
