Playonside

PlayOnside is an NGO that uses the power of football to educate and empower Burmese refugees and migrants displaced in Thailand. Based in Mae Sot, a Thai city on the Thai-Burma border with a substantial migrant and refugee population, Play Onside believes that football can bring migrant/host communities together, tearing down barriers and build up respect and friendship across diversity. The aim of PlayOnside is to bring all communities in Mae Sot together through football, and give boys and girls equal opportunity to play regardless of their background by hosting football integration clinics, tournaments, and football festivals that give the communities a platform to meet, and learn about, and respect each other. Through our Capacity Building Program, we are nurturing this local enthusiasm, equipping young local leaders with the tools to implement the PlayOnside program in their own local communities. Our coaching program teaches not only football-related skills, but also life-skills or soft-skills like respect and tolerance through sports.