The crowd at Bangkok’s National Stadium on November 8 was electric. More than 20,000 spectators filled the stands, with thousands more even sitting along the running track, to witness an unexpected spectacle.
Monthong Wittaya School, a humble underdog from a small provincial school in Chachoengsao, 70 km east of Bangkok, is facing off against Chainat PAO, a powerhouse team with big sponsors and a long record of success, in the final of Thailand’s Student Football Sevens tournament.
Though Monthong Wittaya fell just short of the title, losing 2-1, the school won something far greater: the hearts of the nation.
For more than three decades, the National Stadium had not seen such a massive turnout. The underdog team’s rise from obscurity to the national stage united fans from across Thailand, who came to cheer not only for a football team but for a symbol of perseverance and hope.
The total online viewership across all social media platforms reportedly exceeded 40 million.
The “Dream Bus” that moved a nation
The story captured national attention days before the final when photos went viral showing the team’s coach, Sakol Kliangprasert, driving his squad to Bangkok in an old, modified song thaew pickup truck that came to symbolize their determination and hard work.
He called it “The Dream Bus.”
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For weeks, that humble vehicle became a metaphor for Thailand’s small schools, places with only 15 classrooms, where teachers and students make do with limited means but abundant heart.
Monthong Wittaya’s journey was filled with grit and determination. The players left for every match before dawn, eating simple box meals on the truck and practicing on a rough local field. With fighting spirit and mutual trust, they triumphed over several national-level favorites, including former champions from Bangkok’s prestigious Thepsirin School and Assumption College Sriracha.
“Our vehicle is not powerful, but we managed to overtake several others and dethrone the champions,” the school’s alumni association proudly wrote online.
As the story spread, celebrities from Chachoengsao, including a TV personality and an actress, donated cash to support the team, while a popular online vendor pledged to build the school a new football field.
But Coach Sakol kept the spotlight on his students. “To make a good footballer,” he said, “you must first make a good person.”
A lesson for small schools and for educators everywhere
For educators, especially in Catholic and small schools across Asia, the story of Monthong Wittaya offers profound lessons about leadership, perseverance, and faith.
The “Dream Bus” symbolizes more than transport; it represents effort over equipment, perseverance over privilege, and heart over resources. Monthong had no travel funds, no big sponsors, and no fancy training facilities. Yet they built a system of discipline, teamwork, and belief, the very ingredients that form the foundation of great education.
Their success was not accidental. Behind it lay strategic thinking and compassionate leadership. Coach Sakol knew each player’s strength and built his tactics around them, proving that even small teams can think big.
Likewise, small schools do not fail because they are small. They falter only when they stop planning, stop believing, and stop caring.
In Catholic education, this message resonates deeply. Schools that may lack advanced technology or impressive buildings can still thrive if they nurture the human heart, just as Monthong nurtured its players.
The heart of leadership
Sakol is more than a coach. He is a father figure, mentor, and companion to his students. He drives the truck himself, trains them personally, and looks after them as his own children.
His leadership mirrors what education needs most today: leaders who lead by presence, not by position. In an age of systems and statistics, Monthong’s story reminds educators that the real measure of leadership is the ability to inspire faith, discipline, and unity.
“We may not be as famous as others,” he said, “but we have the heart to take on anyone.”
Many schools boast modern facilities but lack that heart. Without the spirit of teamwork and compassion, even the best equipment cannot build community. Monthong shows that in education, as in football, the winning teams are those that believe in one another.
Faith in Action: A Catholic reflection
For Catholic schools, Monthong Wittaya’s “Dream Bus” echoes the Gospel spirit of love, humility, perseverance, and service.
Education, at its best, is not about waiting for perfect conditions. It is about starting with what we have and doing our best with love.
The team’s journey teaches that success does not belong to the strongest or the wealthiest, but to those who dare to dream and act together. Having been in education all my lifetime, I can say with confidence that “in a world where everyone complains about having no opportunities, some people create opportunities from scratch.”
In the classroom, as on the field, greatness grows from the daily practice of hope.
Although Monthong Wittaya did not lift the championship trophy, their journey became a national parable, one that speaks to every teacher, student, and community striving to overcome limitations.
The lesson is clear: Don’t wait for the system to be ready before you start.
Education, like the “Dream Bus,” moves forward through effort, creativity, and faith. Small schools, especially Catholic ones, can lead transformation not by imitating larger institutions but by living their mission with love, courage, empathy, and compassion.
Perhaps every teacher drives a “Dream Bus” of their own. It may be old, worn, and slow, but if it carries hearts full of hope and love, it will go far.
In the end, Monthong Wittaya’s real victory was not on the scoreboard but in the lives it inspired, proving that even the smallest schools can move a nation when they believe in the power of dreams, discipline, and the human heart.
Chainarong Monthienvichienchai is currently the Chancellor of Saint John’s University in Bangkok. For the past two decades, he has also served as Vice-Chairman of the Association of Catholic Education Council of Thailand.
