In a small fishing village in Southern Thailand, some boys play football with great interest. They run, shout, jump and kick like most other football players, but these boys are especially good at keeping control of the ball because their football field is a raft(筏) in the middle of the sea. They live on the island of Koh Panyee, where all the houses are on stilts (桩子). The island has a total population of three hundred families, but although the village is small, its success on the football field has been huge. Since 2004, the Panyee Football Club has won the Thai Youth Football Championships seven times.
The story of Panyee FC begins back in 1986. Some of the young boys from the village were watching the World Cup Football Championships on television. Suddenly, one of the boys said, "We watch football on TV, but we've never played it." The boys made a decision. "Our football team starts today. We want to become world champions (冠军)!" they shouted. But the villagers laughed at them. "Are you crazy? Have you ever played football?" they asked. "You've already formed a team, but you haven't found a field yet! How can you practice?" The boys were determined(坚决的) to make their dream come true. They used old fishing boats and pieces of wood to make a floating football field. They practiced for hours every day, even when the field was wet and developed amazing skills. That first year, they made it to the semi-finals of the local football competition. They have now played for over twenty-five years and they are one of the best youth football teams in the country.