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Philips to hold soccer camp for underprivileged lads(The Nation (Thailand) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Philips Electronics (Thailand) Ltd announced yesterday that it would hold a series of mobile soccer clinics for underprivileged children in Bangkok to coincide with the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The clinics will be held at three foundations for underprivileged children - the Pak Kred Home for Boys, the Mahamek Home for Boys and Baan Sangsan Dek (the Kru Yui Foundation for Boys). Philips' parent is an official sponsor of the World Cup "Football is a favourite sport of children and many Thai children still don't have access to good training programmes," said Jan Eggebeen, chairman and chief executive of Philips Electronics (Thailand). "So, while we are focusing on football and children, we also want to continue our commitment to Thai society. This unique campaign is designed to be part of Philips' social contribution. It will provide children with a chance to enjoy professional football training as well as having a fun learning experience." The Philips Mobile Soccer Clinic will guide children through football improvement techniques with the support of a team of national youth football coaches and actor Saksith Thaengthong, a football enthusiast and captain of team Mangpor Lorkloen. The clinic will spend one day at each of the institutions. The company will later offer educational and entertainment material to each establishment, including television sets, DVD players and supporting funds to encourage ongoing training. Philips Electronics (Thailand) is also optimistic about its business this year and despite the affects of high oil prices and declining consumer confidence, it expects double-digit growth. "We have no plan to downsize our local operation," Eggebeen said. "Rather, we are always focused on cost control to make our business operation more efficient." He said that the company's performance in the first four months of the year was better than expected. "The reason behind this success is that, in times of uncertainty, consumers go for certain brands and Philips, [which has been] operating in Thailand for more than 50 years, is widely accepted as a reliable brand in terms of quality and technology," he said. "Another reason is that Philips has a strong relationship with its partners and dealers, who help the company achieve its targets during tough times." As one of the official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup, Philips intends to create special activities related to the game in order to show pride in bringing the atmosphere of the massive event to Thailand. "The FIFA World Cup has been, and will be, extremely important to the global exposure and marketing of our brand," Eggebeen said. As well as organising support for underprivileged children, each of Philips' product divisions is pushing its own marketing campaign associated with the World Cup. Consumer electronics, home appliances and personal care divisions are arranging in-store promotions. The lighting division has a raffle programme offering World Cup tickets as well as other prizes. |