Thailand Launches Prime Minister's Youth Cup for Football and Volleyball
Thailand has launched the Prime Minister's Youth Cup, a groundbreaking nationwide competition combining football and volleyball across six age categories to develop young athletes from district to national levels. The project, announced by
The government is moving forward with a major initiative to create opportunities for the nation's youth in football and volleyball through the Prime Minister's Youth Cup project, marking the first time in Thai sports history that two of the country's most popular sports are combined in a single youth competition of this scale. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Thailand Sports Authority, the National Sports Development Fund, the Football Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage, and the Volleyball Association of Thailand jointly announced the Prime Minister's Youth Cup as a significant collaboration to promote youth sports competitions throughout the country. The project aims to develop quality base-level athletes nationwide through a competition system spanning district, provincial, regional, and national levels.
The competition was officially announced on August 19 at The Grand Forvins Hotel, with Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworrakul presiding alongside other senior officials from the sports organisations. The project covers six age categories across two sports: boys' football U14, U16, and U18; girls' football U18; boys' volleyball U15; and girls' volleyball U15.
Boys' football competitions in the U14, U16, and U18 age groups will use a four-stage system starting with district-level qualifying (Stage 1), followed by provincial selection (Stage 2), then regional competition across 12 zones (Stage 3), and concluding with a national championship (Stage 4). This system also allows provincial all-star teams to participate, giving additional talented players the chance to compete at higher levels. Girls' football U18 will be held as a regional league competition across four zones, with representatives advancing to nationals. Volleyball competitions for both boys and girls U15 follow the same four-level structure from district through to national level. All six categories will be broadcast live on BG Sports during the Stage 4 national finals, with coverage of other key matches in earlier stages as well.
