Wes Morgan delivered footballs to local children in Bangkok this weekend, while Emile Heskey, Matt Elliott and Gerry Taggart passed on their wisdom at youth coaching clinics across town.
Away from the Club’s football operation in Thailand’s capital city, an extensive community programme has also been designed to give back to the people of Bangkok. Under King Power’s ownership, Leicester City is committed to supporting its communities both in Leicestershire and further afield – especially children, offering them an opportunity to thrive in later life.
Morgan, the man who lifted the Premier League trophy with the Foxes in 2016, dropped by a community hub in the Don Mueang region on Saturday morning, armed with hundreds of footballs. He was there as part of King Power’s Thai Power pledge to gift one million balls to the children of Thailand – hoping to inspire the next generation of Thai footballers to pursue their dreams.
“It’s an enormous privilege for me to be here to and see all the children,” Morgan said. “It’s been a wonderful occasion, the kids are having a great time. This sort of event is what Leicester City and King Power are all about. We all know how much they value the community, but they do these things all the time. They’ve done it since day one and you can see what it means to the kids.”
Delighted participants were able to meet Morgan too, getting their Leicester City shirts signed by the Club’s most decorated former captain. Elsewhere, over at the Tung Si Kan community pitch, Don Muang, stars of the Foxes side of the late 1990s headed over to the Thunderdome arena to pass on their knowledge to aspiring footballers, bringing Premier League knowhow to their regular weekend football classes.
A large group was split into four, with most participants under the age of 10. Ball-work drills were broken up with mini games, before the occasion ended in a penalty shootout and the awarding of prizes. Elliott, the League Cup final brace-scoring captain of 2000, was thrilled to take part. He was eager too to highlight the positive impact these events have on the children.
“The kids are really fortunate to be here, but so are we,” Elliott explained. “It’s an honour to be out here and experience these things. I’m really enjoying it. The Club are up there with the very best on the community aspect of things. There’s a massive emphasis on it. They realise the benefits of getting everyone involved and creates a feel-good factor across everything.”
