Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions

In Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay, atop a network of stilts, floats the village of Koh Panyee — where a group of boys loved soccer but had nowhere to practice. Where could they find space to dribble, juggle, shoot, and score? The boys looked out at the water and started gathering tools. Even while their neighbors laughed, they sawed wood, hammered nails, and tied barrels together. The team worked for weeks to build Koh Panyee’s first floating field—a place to practice, and a place to transform their community.