Song Lam Nghe An's new approach to youth training

Go to grow up

Possessing quality internal strength, the U13 Song Lam Nghe An team received special attention from the club's leadership. At the end of 2023, the team participated in the "58 Fighter Cup" International Youth Football Tournament in Hunan Province, China. The tournament brought together 8 teams, including a Japanese team, 4 Chinese teams, 2 European teams and a representative from Vietnam.

The experience of going abroad to compete with strong teams from Asia and Europe helped the U13 team mature quickly both professionally and mentally. As a result, U13 Song Lam Nghe An excellently won2024 National Youth Championship.

After the success in the national tournament, the team continued to be sponsored to participate in the 2024 Mito Youth International Friendly Tournament in Japan. The tournament brought together 20 teams from J.League 3, J.League 2, and J.League 1. The U13 Song Lam Nghe An team was the only representative of Vietnam and excellently won the championship.

Mr. Le Van Hung - Head coach of U13 Song Lam Nghe An team shared:"Participating in international tournaments helps players increase their confidence, improve their skills and learn professional manners from international friends. This is a key factor for the team's success in 2024."

Not stopping there, on December 23, the team continued to participate in the 2024 Asia Youth Champions Tournament. The tournament brought together 12 teams from Vietnam, China, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. U13 Song Lam Nghe An played 6 matches and won the championship of group B.

In 2024 alone, the team played 24 matches in official and friendly tournaments. This is a valuable opportunity for players to quickly mature and open the door to future success.

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In youth football training, the U13 and U14 age group is the golden time to cultivate and train the children. If they want to make a breakthrough in the future, this is the time to be trained properly and have a lot of experience. U13 Song Lam Nghe An is fortunate to have this. With the internal strength and proper attention of the club in the past time, this will be the lever to help U13 Song Lam Nghe An go further in the future.

Mr. Tran Quang Dung - Director of Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center

Positive changes in youth training

In Southeast Asia, Thailand is considered the country with the most developed football. To maintain this position, they always focus on youth training, especially organizing regular competitions. Since 2020, the Football Association of Thailand has launched the Thai Youth League system with 5 age groups, from U10 to U19. An average youth team in Thailand plays at least 18 matches/year, stronger teams can play up to 24 matches.

Meanwhile, in Vietnam, each youth team only plays a maximum of 15 matches in two years if they reach the final round of the national youth tournament, and only 8-10 matches if they stop at the qualifying round. This creates a large gap in playing experience between young Vietnamese and Thai players.

Recognizing the importance of competitive play, Song Lam Nghe An Youth Football Training Center has made many positive changes since 2024. The center aims to increase the number of matches for youth teams by participating in more national and international tournaments.

The club also plans to organize many friendly tournaments from domestic to international levels, creating opportunities for players to learn and grow. Mr. Tran Quang Dung - Director of the Youth Football Training Center shared: "We have connected with international organizations to send youth teams abroad, and at the same time organize football festivals right at Song Lam Nghe An. I believe that this approach will help players maximize their abilities, contributing to the development of Vietnamese football".