At only 28 years old, the young coach Thawann Kayke has been strengthening his position within the Malaysian youth football scene. Leading four categories in 2023, the Brazilian secured two trophies with the U-8 team, one with the U-15 team, and one with the U-17 players, a team he inherited from another coach. For 2024, Thawann will continue his work with children and teenagers to achieve even greater success.
With a bachelor’s degree and a physical education teaching degree from the University of Mogi das Cruzes, the fitness coach joined JSA Sports Academy, where he has been working as a coach, in 2022. In addition to the mentioned categories, he also oversees the 14 and 19-year-old athletes.
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“They managed to handle the pressure from the fans, parents, and everyone who was watching very well. But they are just kids, they are there to have fun, and thankfully I was able to work on that with them. In Malaysia, there are no youth categories in clubs, so we, the football academy, and government programs are the ones doing this work,” says Thawann.
With a qualified structure, JSA has three professional fields and a 7-a-side football field, as well as sponsors like Milo from Nestle, and Nestle itself, which also supports the youth leagues. For the Brazilian, coaching teams with young players is the ideal process to aim for new challenges.
“I have always believed that football starts with children, so I focused on initiation, learning how their psychological and emotional aspects work. In 2023, I took over the U-19 category, which is already more challenging, although we finished the league in third place. I plan my career without skipping steps, and all these processes are essential for the ultimate goal: coaching professional teams,” concludes the Brazilian.
In 2024, many players will transition between categories. This demands changes in goal size and game time. Despite the adaptation process, Thawann states that the focus will continue to be on winning titles, competing in all the upcoming competitions.
