Bangkok--June 29--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
Liverpool FC to join 11th Coke Cup LFC Players to kick off tournament & train players; Coke Cup winners to train at Liverpool Academy
Coca-Cola in Thailand, in co-operation with the Department of Physical Education (DPE) and the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), today announced the opening season of the 11th Coke Cup, an under-17 youth football tournament that will run from July 2001 until January 2002. This year, the Coke Cup will reach even greater heights as Coca-Cola brings the real-life excitement of the Liverpool Football Club to the young players.
A star player from the Liverpool FC team will officially kick off the 11th Coke Cup on Wednesday, July 18th at the National Stadium. This will start the tournament's opening match between Bangkok Christian College and Suan Kularb Wittayalai.
The 'Coke Football Clinic' will also take place on the same day. Liverpool stars will share some of their expertise and techniques with 100 under-17 youth selected from Coke football programs under the supervision of Coach Chanwit Pholcheevin.
But the Liverpool links do not finish on July 18. For the winners of the Coke Cup 2001-2002 tournament, the prize will be the chance to immerse themselves in a complete football learning environment at the Liverpool FC Academy - the biggest and best in Europe -- and visit Anfield stadium in England.
According to Sutthi Polsaward, Director General of the Department of Physical Education: "We are thrilled that the Coke Cup is entering its eleventh season. This year, with the excitement and knowledge that Liverpool FC brings to the Coke Cup, I am sure that the young players will make this season's matches more impressive than ever."
Thai national team striker and former Coke Cup player Sakesan Piturat agrees.
"Wow! This is an amazing opportunity for Coke Cup footballers. I sure would like to be one of the Coke Stars in this tournament!" said Sakesan Piturat. He was a Coke Star ten years ago and is now a Thai national team striker who has played professionally for four years.
"With the special activities that Coca-Cola has brought to the Coke Cup, especially the incentive trip to Anfield, England, I think most Coke Cup players will work even harder this year to become one of the 'Coke Stars'," he continued.
Coke Cup -- a major step in taking local youth football to an international level
The Coke Cup is the leading youth tournament for the Thai football community in 2001. For over two decades, Coca-Cola has connected to Thai teenagers and young football players by sponsoring football programs from grassroots to international levels, from the Coke Cup to the Coke SuperCup.
Coca-Cola is also the title sponsor for the Coke SuperCup, a unique football match that will see the outstanding Liverpool FC play the Thai national team in July. As part of the Coke SuperCup, Coca-Cola has launched the Red Passion promotional campaign to capture the excitement of the Liverpool visit.
"This is a golden year for Thai football and we're investing over Bt 20 million to bring both the excitement and the football skills of the Reds to the 11th Coke Cup tournament. We're particularly excited since Liverpool FC share the same commitment to grassroots football that Coca-Cola has so it's very symbolic for a Liverpool superstar to officially kick off the Coke Cup season," said Pornwut Sarasin, Vice President of Thai Pure Drinks Limited.
A great tournament for building professional caliber players for Thailand The Football Association of Thailand sees the Coke Cup as an ideal training ground where young footballers can hone their skills and work their way up from entry level to professional caliber.
"More football players who started out with the Coke Cup join the Thai national team every year," said Vijit Ketkaew, President of the Football Association of Thailand. "Over 100 professional referees from the FAT will judge every Coke Cup match to ensure they're played in strict accordance with FIFA rules and regulations. With strong support from both the government and private sectors, I am confident that we will continue to see new talent emerging as shining stars in the Coke Cup."
The 128 football teams participating in the Coke Cup are divided into 16 groups of eight teams. Each group will draw for opponents to play in both home and away games.
For further information, please contact:
Nichanan Chiamsiri or Barakorn Petchnoi Duangkamon Isarapandh
Aziam Burson-Marsteller Coca-Cola
Tel. 252-9871 Tel: 955-0777 ext. 476 End
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