DAPHNE, Ala. — A tour group of 18 administrators from the 2009 Sports Authority of Thailand Study Tour visited the United States Sports Academy Friday to participate in classes and speak with academy officials about sports management and coaching.

As part of their tour, the students observed a P.E. class at Daphne Middle School and attended the Spanish Fort-Faith Academy football game Friday night.

The students also experienced a youth recreational soccer program on Saturday.

After a certification ceremony, the group discussed sports licensing and fundraising with academy officials.

Officials explained to the group how merchandising, agreements with broadcast networks and endowments can garner revenue for schools; the officials also shared of the benefits of expanded sports medicine facilities, including sports psychologists and physical therapists.

“In the United States, you have the trainer, “ sports coaching student Niwat Imont said. “It reduces the responsibility of the coaches. It’s wisest to introduce athletic training in our country.

“One thing we think will help will be sports management and how to deal with an injured athlete.”

Sports management student Boonchai Lophpipat agreed.

“They are good models we can implement in Thailand,” he said, of the various programs the group visited on its tour.

The group toured a selection of sports venues, including: the athletic facilities at Stanford University and the University of San Francisco; Soldier and Wrigley fields in Chicago, Ill. as well as DePaul University’s athletic facilities and the United Center; the 2016 Olympic Bid Advisory Council; and a University of Illinois soccer match.

The final leg of the students’ tour will take them to New York City and Lake Placid, N.Y., site of the 1980 Winter Olympic Games.

While in New York, the group will tour Ellis Island before heading to Lake Placid, where they will visit the United States Olympic Committee Training Center and various Olympic site venues.

The groups’ visit continues an ongoing relationship between the academy and the Sport Authority of Thailand, including sending instructors to Thailand to teach certification courses in sports management and sports coaching programs.

“We have a long relationship with these folks,” associate dean of continuing education Betsy Smith said. “We help them develop sport in Thailand,” adding that the authority focuses on building youth recreation programs in Thai schools.

“We try to give them a broad spectrum of sport in America” Smith said.

“They’re always interested in technique. We have a lot of regulations that they don’t have, in particular, safety. Also, they’re very interested in coaching techniques.”

Smith said that the group was impressed with how, in America, families attend sporting events; in Thailand, it is uncommon for women to attend sports games.

The Sport Authority of Thailand is the country’s primary sports organization and plays a vital role in developing sport.

About the academy

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, nonprofit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research and service.

The academy’s role is to prepare its students for careers in the profession of sports.

For more info, call 626-3303 or visit the academy’s Web site at www.ussa.edu.