A contingent of 24 aspiring footballers, all of whom were aged 12-years-old or under, arrived in the East Midlands on Thursday morning after being selected by the Hero Charity, an organisation which aims to improve the lives of young people from disadvantaged areas from across provinces in south Thailand.
In the past, children have been picked for their footballing ability but the criteria was changed this season to reward those who have also made an impact within their local communities. While their peers have visited other football clubs across the world, this group travelled over 5,000 miles to Leicester.
After a one month stay in Bangkok this summer, they will return home with a host of once-in-a-lifetime experiences to look back upon fondly. As part of their visit to England, a first trip abroad for many, the children had the opportunity to meet the Leicester City squad before a charity match at Belvoir Drive.
The following weekend, they were then welcomed to King Power Stadium for a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities on offer on Filbert Way. After over 1,000 applied for the trip, plans are in place to welcome more young footballers from Thailand as guests of the Club over the next four years.