Bầu Đức 'plays big' with International U14 Festival

Not only limited to training philosophy, Bầu Đức continues to create a strong impact by taking the initiative to organize the 2026 Gia Lai International U14 Football Festival with a large scale and significant prize money. The event is not merely a playground but also asserts that for Vietnamese football to achieve sustainable development, it must begin at the root, which is youth football.

On the afternoon of April 16th in Ho Chi Minh City,the 2026 Gia Lai International U14 Football Festivalwas officially announced, marking a notable step by Bầu Đức in his journey pursuing youth football.

The tournament takes place from May 11th to 17th in Pleiku and the Hàm Rồng Training Center, gathering 12 teams, including 5 Vietnamese representatives and 7 international guest teams from Japan, South Korea, China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos.

With a total prize value of 40,000 USD, where the champion receives 20,000 USD, this is one of the youth tournaments with a rarely seen high prize amount.

But the noteworthy point is that the prize money is not the core factor; rather, it is howBầu Đứccreates a "real stage" for young Vietnamese players to compete internationally from an early age.

Speaking at the press conference, Bầu Đức candidly stated: "We once established the Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Arsenal JMG Academy in 2007, which entered the history of the club as well as Vietnamese football. That was the first professional model following European football.

However, we have never organized any substantial youth tournament. Why do we undervalue youth football so much when youth football determines the future?

That is why we created this grand tournament and will strive to maintain it as a regular event, held approximately every 2-3 years."

That statement reveals a reality: after nearly two decades in football, Bầu Đức hasn't changed his philosophy, but his approach is becoming increasingly decisive. If previously Bầu Đức invested in an academy to create a source, now he wants to create more competitive environments, something Vietnamese youth football has long lacked.

The presence of international teams like Jubilo Iwata, Gangwon, or Shenzhen elevates the tournament beyond the framework of a friendly competition. It becomes a real "test" for young Vietnamese players, while also opening opportunities to learn about playing mindset, tactical discipline, and match speed.

Former head coach of the Vietnamese national team Park Hang Seo shared: "I am very pleased to meet you again in such a meaningful event. I always believe that training, developing, and nurturing young talent is precisely the future and focus of Vietnamese football.

I am deeply passionate about what Mr. Đoàn Nguyên Đức is building at the Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Academy. Therefore, for Vietnamese football to develop sustainably, we need to focus and exert maximum effort for the development of youth football."

VFF Chairman Trần Quốc Tuấn also emphasized Bầu Đức's role in the journey of developing Vietnamese youth football: "I warmly welcome the initiative of Hoàng Anh Gia Lai Club in implementing this meaningful program, facilitating exchanges with domestic and foreign clubs, creating a playing field for athletes.

Since 2007, Bầu Đức had the idea to establish a football academy and, thanks to that, spread the model for other training centers to also invest, helping Vietnamese football develop. Along with clubs, VFF always cares, considers youth football as the root, and VFF has also organized many youth tournaments, developing a systematic annual youth tournament organization system.

We are witnessing a generation of talented young players continuously emerging and achieving impressive results in Asian youth tournaments, making a mark. Most recently, the bronze medal at the 2026 U23 Asian Cup, national youth men's and women's teams have opportunities to compete, develop steadily and sustainably.

We thank and appreciate the contributions of Bầu Đức, despite many difficulties in business work, he always remains passionate, maintains the training system and the first team, develops the club sustainably, sacrifices for HAGL to breakthrough and develop in the future."