In November 2023, we started offering free football classes in English because there weren't many fun afterschool activities around here, especially in English. We believe the best way to learn is by having fun, and that goes for both learning English and playing football. Every week, we put together a fun training session for the kids, helping them get better at football, love the sport, and build their confidence.
We are expats from Belgium, and moved to Thailand 10 years ago. Rob, my husband, has been passionate about football ever since he started playing at the age of 7. He played football until we moved to Thailand at the age of 30. For several years he played in the youth division for KFC Verbroedering Geel, which is a second-league club in Belgium. But after a series of injuries, he shifted to playing recreational at a provincial level. He’s always had the skills to go pro, but injuries held him back. Still, his love for the game never faded, so he completed a coaching course to make sure he could teach our son, Dylan, with the right techniques and approach for young kids. Rob is a certified coach and the head coach of our football club. He is the one who creates all the training sessions every week.
My name is Noeke. I'm born and raised in Belgium, but I'm half Thai. I speak enough Thai to communicate with the parents and translate if the kids don't understand us. I met my husband when I was 15. Since we started dating, I’ve been to all his football games. I’ve always been really into sports myself, especially gymnastics, which I did for 15 years starting at the age of 6. When I was 16, I began teaching gymnastics as a volunteer to younger kids in our local club.
In high school, I studied at a Sports School, where I had 16 hours of sports each week, along with sports-related classes like anatomy. My football teacher suggested I should join a provincial team to improve my skills, and that’s when I really started loving the game. Even in college, I kept playing football in my free time while studying PE and English teaching in a teacher training program.
Our son’s name is Dylan, and he’s a super optimistic, social, and kindhearted kid. He was born here in Thailand seven years ago. Dylan holds Thai nationality, but he didn’t speak much Thai until he joined a local Thai Football academy last year. He absolutely loves football and is living proof that kids can pick up a new language just by being exposed to it while having fun!
We’d love to offer the classes completely free, but we do need to cover costs like equipment and field rental fees. While we don’t charge any tuition and don’t plan to, we ask parents to contribute 50 THB per child, per class to cover the field fee.
For most of the kids currently attending, this setup works fine. But for some in tougher financial situations, even this small cost can be a barrier. Our goal is to make sure every child, no matter their background, can participate without worrying about money. We want football and English to be accessible to all who are interested.
We’re very grateful to Wilms NV for sponsoring 500 € for shirts for kids joining our sessions. Thanks to them, nobody has to pay for a team jersey. We wear their logo proudly on our shirts.
A huge thank you to Alen Pavlovic "Type08" for his incredible work designing our team shirts. He captured the vision of our club beautifully with his pro-bono design, which truly represent the spirit and community we’re building at Shooting Stars FC. We are proud to wear his designs and grateful for the creativity he’s brought to the team.
We’d also like to thank James Bos, who generously sponsored 7,500 THB, which we are using to buy footballs for the growing number of kids joining us.
And last but not least a special thank you to my parents and Mommy Naem for their personal contributions, which help the team tremendously.
As the number of kids joining us grows, we need to buy extra footballs and uniforms, which means our budget is running low. You can help by donating second-hand football shoes or contributing donations for us to buy new shoes for kids who could benefit from extra support.
For every 50 THB (1.35 €, 1.14 £, 1.50 USD, or 2.23 AUD) donated, we can give a child a "free class coupon" so they can attend without any financial worry.
With your help, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to join in, regardless of their circumstances. Whether you’d like to donate shoes, sponsor a class, or simply spread the word, every contribution makes a difference. Together, we can create a welcoming environment where all kids have the chance to play, learn, and grow.
If you’d like to support our cause, please reach out. Thank you for being part of our mission to make football fun and inclusive for everyone!
