“Tong-Kawin” joins in inspiring youth to become professional athletes with the UNIQLO Next Gen project

UNIQLO, a global apparel brand, is continuing its commitment to elevate the quality of life of Thais through the development of youth skills. This is the second time that the program has been implemented in collaboration with Tong - Kawin Thamsatchanan, a football player and founder of Kawin Academy, to develop basic football skills and inspire youth through football. The first program was held in Thailand in April 2024, which was very well-received by both male and female Thai youth. This time, 60 youths aged 8-10 years old participated in the activity at the Polo Football ParkThe UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program is an initiative in Japan to develop and inspire young people through sports. This program has been expanded to many countries in collaboration with UNIQLO's global brand ambassadors who are experts in various sports, such as football, tennis, golf, etc. In addition, there are various sports skills training activities, such as playing tennis with Roger Federer, training golf skills with Ad am Scott, and training snowboarding skills with Ayumu Hirano, etc. Mr. Yoshitake Wakakuwa, Chief Executive Officer of Uniqlo (Thailand) Co., Ltd., revealed that 'This is the second time that Uniqlo Thailand has organized the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program. Uniqlo aims for the youth who participate in the program to gain skills to become professional athletes in the future, in line with Uniqlo's LifeWear philosophy that aims to improve people's quality of life through clothing. Those who participate in the program will be able to touch and experience Uniqlo's functional clothing, such as DRY-EX shirts and pants that dry quickly and respond to every movement, through this activity. Uniqlo will continue the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program to develop and inspire Thai youth continuously.' Tong - Kawin Thamsatchanan said, 'This is my second time working with Uniqlo. Both Uniqlo and I have the same goal: to jointly develop and inspire Thai youth who are talented and interested in football. T he activity received overwhelming interest from the youth. Many of the youth submitted their inspiring stories during the qualifying round. The stories shared by the youth were interesting and inspired me and the Kawin Academy team. My team and I worked with the Uniqlo team to develop and design skill training activities. The youth who participated in the activity will be able to train as both a player and a goalkeeper. In addition to training skills, training in both positions also allows the youth to know what they want to play and what they are good at in the future.' Ms. Saowanee Kanchanamueangthong, the guardian of the youth who participated in the 2nd UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program, said, 'First of all, I would like to thank Uniqlo for organizing such a good activity. Personally, I would like Uniqlo to continue organizing such good activities for the youth. It could be activities related to other types of sports because Uniqlo already has sports-style clothing that is specifically designed for sports. If they focus on promoting activities related to the youth, it is very worthy of support. Today's event was very well organized and impressive. The reason I brought my child to participate in the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program was because I wanted my child to gain new experiences, have the opportunity to meet new friends, and meet great coaches. When my child participated in the activity, he seemed to have a lot of fun. At first, I was a bit worried whether my child would be okay or not, but when he tried it, he said that it was very fun. As a mother, I am happy to see that he is happy.' For the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program in Thailand, it was first launched in April 2024 with a football skills training activity with Tong - Kawin Thamsatchanan, a Thai footballer and legendary goalkeeper for the Thai national team, who helped teach skills to young women and men to share playing techniques, provide experience, and allow the young participants to try out both playing and go alkeeper positions. Football playing techniques for young people In October 2024, the project accepted applications by having young people write about their inspirations and dreams for the future. 60 young people were selected to join on October 18, 2024. Follow the UNIQLO Next Generation Development Program and activewear items from UNIQLO at https://www.uniqlo.com/th/th/special-feature/development-program Source: Thai News Agency