The football competition “Selatan Thailand Tournament Cup 2024” will be organized in the southern border provinces to open up opportunities for local people to become professional football players and join football tournaments at the international level.

Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsutin, who is also Chairman of the Southern Border Provinces Development Strategy Committee, said that the event comprises 128 teams from Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces and four districts of Songkhla (Thepha, Na Thawi, Chana, and Saba Yoi).

Applications for the tournament will be open from 20 to 29 February, and the competition will take place in April. The winning team will receive a cash prize of one million baht, together with the Prime Minister’s trophy.

Mr. Somsak said that, during his inspection tours of the southern border provinces, he found that football was a favorite sport among local residents. Consequently, he assigned the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center to join hands with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and other relevant agencies in organizing the Selatan Thailand Tournament Cup (STT Cup) 2024.

Mr. Somsak said that the organizing of this football tournament was approved by the Cabinet in December 2023 as a "New Year Gift 2024” for people in the deep South. The Government intends to give a boost to the sport of football in the southern border provinces. The objectives are to foster harmonization among the people, provide them with recreational activities and happiness, promote people’s health, and develop the potential of football players.

He believes that the Selatan Thailand Tournament Cup 2024 will open up greater opportunities for local residents to show their ability in playing football, which can be developed further to upgrade their professionalism. Professional football players will also be encouraged to participate in international football tournaments in the future.