Sports play a pivotal role in the development of youth, fostering physical, mental, and social growth. Engaging in sports activities not only promotes a healthy lifestyle but also instills discipline, teamwork, and perseverance. Through sports, adolescents learn to set and strive for goals, enhancing their self-confidence and resilience in the face of challenges. It teaches valuable lessons in sportsmanship, respect, and fair play, laying a foundation for responsible citizenship. Overall, sports provide a holistic platform for holistic development during this critical stage of adolescence.

SEEDs members in Thailand continue to invest in local leaders and local initiatives which will develop youth through futsal.  Futsal is a form of soccer (football) which is played on a short, hard-surface field.   Although the heart of sports training happens between coaches and players during practice, the wider network of teams is an important place for training in larger groups, for strengthening inter-neighborhood relationships, and for building excitement among teams. 

Recently, the local futsal network that SEEDS organized several years ago came together to host its eighth annual futsal league.  Eight neighborhoods contributed their assets of people, places, relationships, and skills to make the league possible.  Drawing on several years of experience, the SEEDS volunteers and local coaches worked together to create an ID card system to ensure that only registered players were allowed on the field.  This innovative solution helped boost trust between referees, coaches, and players.

During the one month futsal league, each team played five matches in a round-robin format to ensure that everyone, regardless of experience, had the opportunity to play the same number of times.  This league is not a team’s only opportunity to engage in competition during the year, but the youth have repeatedly commented that the league is their favorite competition of the year!