A very special football tournament was held on the weekend of 13th and 14th of August and the winners were already known before the event had even started: the children of the Pattaya Orphanage and the Child Development and Protection Center. The proceeds of the charity tournament, 300.000 Baht in total, will be added to the “Educational Fund” to support the children´s schooling.
Twelve teams participated in the event and the tournament´s draw was carried out by Thailand´s new German football coach Winfried Schäfer and Reiner “Calli” Calmund, Germany´s legendary football manager, reporter and journalist.
Calli and Thai national football coach Winfried Schäfer meet the orphanage kids prior to the tournament.
On the tournament´s first day, the qualifying round was held at the wonderful football field of the CDPC in Hua Yai. All teams were sponsored and once again Gerrit Niehaus, owner of the Thai Garden Resort, was one of the main sponsors.
Calli attracted some skilful players to the tournament and sponsored the “Siam Sport Deutscher Fußball Fanklub” team, which consists of honorary members like Franz Beckenbauer, Uwe Seeler, Gerd Müller, Jürgen Klinsmann, Rudi Völler, Berti Vogts and many other famous German players and coaches, while Calli functions as honorary chairman of the club. Many other business people supported other participating teams with the amount of 20.000 Baht each.
The winning Siam Sport Deutscher Fußball Fanklub team receive the trophy from Reiner “Calli” Calmund.
The qualifying round showed excellent sport and skilful players, however only the best teams were going to the finals on the following Sunday at the Pattaya Orphanage, where Gerrit Niehaus had donated a great lawn football field.
The finals offered very interesting matches and despite the extreme heat, the players showed much enthusiasm and even Winfried Schäfer and Calli Calmund were impressed by the high levels of the competition.
Among the spectators were Ewald Dietrich, president and founder of the Human Help Network, Gerrit Niehaus and Rene Pisters from the Thai Garden Resort, Reiner Calmund and Winfried Schäfer, YWCA´s Nittaya Patimasongkroh, and all the other sponsors like Hans Günther Müller, Martin Ruegsegger and of course the orphanage´s “kind soul” Radchada Chomjinda, who all appeared to cheer for their favorite teams while enjoying the sponsored food and drinks at the event.
Gerrit Niehaus presents the runner-up trophy to the Thai Souvenir & SilverLine team.
Finally the winners were ascertained: Reiner Calmund´s team won the tournament, runners up were the “Line Thai Souvenir & Silver” team, sponsored by Mermaids Diving Center and the third place was captured by the “Heiko and Friends” team sponsored by the “Völklinger Kreis”.
Eventually a great and successful football weekend came to an end and the children who benefited from the event can be really happy to have such wonderful people to support them.
Team sponsors were: Hans Günther Müller, Thai Garden Resort, Bäckerei Lipps, “Calli” Calmund, Völklinger Kreis, Poseidon, Family Dietrich, David Edmondson, Pattaya Sports Club, Farang Magazine, Castrol, and the Mermaids Diving Center, which donated additional 10.000 Baht for food and drinks. Donald Robert Anderson and Siegfried and Agneta Egger also made generous donations.
