It is the only soccer field over the sea in the world and its history is one of the most romantic of the sports scene, a milestone that the children of the island of Koh Panyi made a reality in 1986. We travel to Phang Nga Bay in the Andaman Sea, known for the color of its waters, the karst islets that spring from the sea and the paradisiacal beaches of southern Thailand.

The Panyee FC soccer team is one of the most successful in the Land of Smiles, but it wasn’t always that way. This is the story of the children of the island of Koh Panyi. We go back 200 years, when the islet was inhabited by Muslims arriving from Malaysia. Those nomads in search of a good fishing ground built their wooden houses on the water since the rock has no buildable land space and has a considerable height, like almost all the Andaman islets.

In 1986, the children of Koh Panyi gathered together to watch the World Cup in Mexico on one of the few televisions in the floating village. Like any other child of their age, they dreamed of their idols, but they could not play soccer. Full of illusion and eager to kick balls, they created a soccer club. Their elders thought it was impossible and crazy to build a playing field on the sea, but they let the children keep dreaming. Unshakable to discouragement, with wooden planks, nails and full of hopes, they built their floating soccer field.

The floating soccer pitch on Koh Panyi Island, Thailand, has been named one of the best sights in the world, receiving positive comments calling the place a must-visit destination😍#minifootball #soccer #pitch #Thailandsoccer #footballfield pic.twitter.com/rJlC4fASRE

— World Minifootball Federation (@minifootballcom) December 26, 2022

They began to train until they managed to participate in the Phanga Cup youth tournament and to the bewilderment of many, barefoot and without proper equipment, they reached the semifinals. From then on they began to excel in other competitions, and from 2004 to 2011 they were seven consecutive champions of the youth league in southern Thailand. Even today they still prefer to play barefoot, although they now have good sports equipment and two floating soccer fields made of better materials. But their story is one of the most beautiful in world sport, a symbol of self-improvement and teamwork.

Koh Panyi is rather a gigantic rock between exultant and insulting nature, it would never be inhabited if it were not for those nomadic fishermen who defied the sea. It is picturesque and different and invites you to walk through its floating alleys between fish drying sheds and plastic flowers. Surrounded by islets, it is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park, the second largest marine National Park in the country.

Such a unique scenery had to be immortalized by the cinema. In 1974, very close to Koh Panyi, the British agent 007 turned the cliff of Koh Khao Kan, better known as Koh Tapu or directly James Bond Island after the filming of “The Man with the Golden Gun” with Roger Moore, into an icon. A mythical and romantic destination, where it is possible to practice water sports or relax in quieter environments and coral beaches such as those of the island of Yao Yai.

-Thailand News (TN)