Coach Nguyen Huu Thang: 'Amateur players can play in the First Division'

That was the belief of coach Nguyen Huu Thang from Nghe An province when he attended the final round of the 3rd Hanoi Premier League (Ha Noi Premier League – Season 3).

Coach Nguyen Huu Thang (center) attends the closing ceremony of the Hanoi Premier League 2015.

"World football has many players who started in amateur leagues, like Thomas Mueller of Bayern Munich, for example. He started from the third division and now plays for the national team. I think there are still players in amateur leagues who can play in Vietnam's first and second divisions, using that as a stepping stone to professionalism. I have reason to believe that," commented coach Nguyen Huu Thang.

Although invited by the organizers to attend the final round, this was the first time Coach Huu Thang had watched a Hanoi amateur football tournament live. He couldn't help but be surprised: "Firstly, I was very surprised. Secondly, I'm very happy to see such a large and strong amateur football tournament organized. Vietnamese football will have more opportunities to develop. The tournament will certainly generate a lot of interest from football fans nationwide. If a tournament attracts such large crowds, the love for football will only grow stronger day by day."

Any comparison between amateur leagues and the V-League is flawed, but I think the organization is very good, especially in terms of fierce competition. We shouldn't compare the level of this league with the V-League; just having it as a grassroots movement like this is already fantastic," Coach Huu Thang concluded.

The Hanoi Premier League – Saigon Beer Cup Season 3 officially concluded yesterday afternoon, November 22nd. After more than two months of competition with 11 rounds, HPL – Season 3 continued to impress football fans in Hanoi, creating a platform for amateur teams to compete in a professional manner.

Concluding its third season, the tournament crowned its new champion: MV Corp, a team from Nghe An province. FC Van Minh also took second place, while Moon Quang Trung impressively won the bronze medal in their first appearance at the tournament.

FC Du Lich won the Contribution Award. The two fan clubs of FC Trieu Khuc and Moon Quang Trung were also honored in the category for best fan club.

In the individual award categories, goalkeeper Nguyen Hong Nhat (MV Corp) won the Best Goalkeeper award. Tran Viet Phuong (Top Group) won the Top Scorer award. The Best Player award went to Ta Xuan Hong (FC Van Minh).

According to thethaovanhoa