About 40 kids from the Moklen sea gypsy village in Rawai could be seen running around the artificial grass field at the local club’s facilities, practicing their footwork.
“There’s about 30 kids here who probably have never seen artificial grass before. Everyday they play in the mud and the puddles so for them to come see and experience this, hopefully it will motivate them to play more football and get into the Phuket FC academy,” said Richie Dell, a member of the Mushy Peas, a Phuket FC supporter’s club that helped organise the event with team officials.
The group has been busy the last few months as they gave away sports equipment to the village last month and had previously coordinated a football clinic for underprivileged Myanmar children.
“The Mushy Peas will continue to do good for the community. At the moment, we’re concentrating little on the sea gypsy kids since they are some of the poorest on the island,” Dell said, adding that the group plans to give away school uniforms within the next few weeks.
Head Coach Reuther Moreira and assistant coach Somchai Buranawangsila led the kids through several drills and activities.
“This is important and special to the children. They need this type of attention for life and it’s important to enjoy football,” Moreira said.
The charity must have given off some great karma, as Phuket FC rolled to a surprising 1-0 victory over Siam Navy – a top-tier team that is far ahead on the Yamaha League-1 standings. For match report, see sport section.
For more information or to reach out, contact the organisation through
facebook.com/mushypeasrawai.