Good News For Sports Fans In Phuket

Andaman News TV11 & FM90.5 Phuket 8.30am Wednesday 20 July 2005

Three Premier League football team managers and 6 players have confirmed to come to Phuket on Thursday

<p>Three famous English Premier League football teams Everton, Manchester City and Bolton have confirmed they are sending their club managers, and 2 international players each to Phuket this coming Thursday at about 10am for a football clinic for tsunami affected children at Surakul stadium in Phuket City.

Phuket Sports Association President Eam Thavornvongwong told Andaman News, that they are looking forward to seeing Everton Manager David Moyes, with players David Weir and Nigel Martyn; Manchester City's manager Stuart Pierce, with players Danny Mills and Trevor Sinclair; and Bolton's manager Sam Alladyce, with players Gary Speed and JJ Okocha.

In the afternoon they plan to visit Kata, Karon, Patong, and Kamala beaches, before returning to the airport, for a tournament in Bangkok with the Thai national team. Everton are sponsored by a Thai company and are also planning to make a special donation to tsunami affected villagers in Phang Nga.

Tonight you can see Bolton play Manchester City on Channel 11 at 8.45pm, before they come here.

(we hope to have interviews with them on Friday's programs)

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Andaman News TV11 & FM90.5 Phuket 8.30am Wednesday 20 July 2005

Phuket to host new international style of rugby tournament

<p> Phuket and Thailand is getting a world first in testing out a new international competition in rugby. Called 80-80 rugby or welterweight rugby, it is full 15 a side contact rugby played under the existing International Rugby Board Laws of the Game. The only difference is that it is weight graded and all players cannot weigh more than 85 kg.

Patrick Cotter of Phuket Vagabonds Club told Andaman News that Phuket will host the world's first international tournament in the week of 6 - 14 August. Auckland Rugby Union, New South Wales Union and Japan Rugby Football Union will compete with Thailand. These Unions represent the “powerhouses” of Southern hemisphere rugby and Japan is the leading rugby nation in Asia, being the only one to have made a World Cup. It should prove to be one of the most competitive and closely fought rugby competitions between Asian Unions and Southern hemisphere unions ever. Filming of the event will be seen world wide on the IRB\'s weekly “Total Rugby” TV program.