Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches
There is a specific type of English that exists on a football training ground — in the instructions a coach gives, in the communication between defenders organising a wall at a free kick, in the feedback a player receives after a session, in the interview a manager conducts after a match. It is not the English of a textbook. It is not the English of a business meeting. It is functional, high-stakes, real-time communication in a context where being understood — and understanding — directly affects performance.
Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches in Thailand, available at Dragon Study Tours in Hua Hin, teaches exactly that English. Not football-themed English. Football English — the specific language of the training ground, the dressing room, the press conference, and the media room. And at Dragon Study Tours, it is delivered by native English teachers in classes of maximum twelve students, with a complete study plan shared with tour organisers before the group arrives.
What Players Learn in Hatriqa Football English for Players and Coaches in Thailand
For student players on the Hatriqa programme at Dragon Study Tours, the morning lesson block is structured around the English they need in a football environment. Listening and reading activities in Block One use real coaching instructions, tactical briefings, and player communication scenarios. Students learn to understand what a coach means when they say “press high,” “drop into the pocket,” or “play through the lines” — not as abstract tactical concepts, but as English communication that they need to process and respond to in real time.
Writing activities focus on the written English of football — match reports, training diaries, player evaluations, self-assessment notes for a coaching debrief. Speaking activities in Block Two include the post-match interview, the pre-game team talk, the dressing room conversation, and the one-to-one with the performance coach — all conducted in English, all facilitated by native English teachers in classes of maximum twelve students. Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches in Thailand gives student players the English they need not just to survive in an English-speaking football environment, but to perform in one.
What Coaches Learn in Hatriqa Football English for Players and Coaches in Thailand
For groups that include coaching staff or older students with coaching ambitions, the Hatriqa programme extends into the communication demands of the coaching role. How to give clear, unambiguous instructions in English — the kind of instructions that a player from a different language background can action immediately. How to deliver feedback that motivates rather than deflates. How to communicate tactics to players who are not first-language English speakers. How to conduct a media briefing after a match.
Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches in Thailand recognises that coaching communication is one of the most demanding forms of English in the football world — because the consequences of miscommunication are immediate and visible on the pitch. The programme develops the coaching vocabulary, register, and delivery that turns understanding into performance.
The Professional Endorsement That Matters
Hatriqa’s endorsement from Damian Roden, Head of Performance in the Premier League and MLS, is explicit on this point: a knowledge of Football English makes it easier for players to understand instructions, makes them more confident, and makes them more likely to reach peak performance. This is not a theoretical statement from a language academic. It is a direct observation from a performance professional who has worked with elite athletes in the Premier League — the highest level of the sport — and seen the difference that Football English comprehension makes to player development.
For students at Dragon Study Tours who play at club level and aspire to play at a higher level, Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches in Thailand offers a direct connection between the English classroom and the performance environment they are working towards.
The Academic Foundation
Hatriqa was created by Mark Bailey, a Teaching Fellow in English at UCL’s Institute of Education — ranked number one in the world for education — who holds two English teaching qualifications from the University of Cambridge and a Masters from UCL. The programme is affiliated with UCL Innovation and Enterprise, the University of Cambridge, and Osaka University. This academic foundation gives Hatriqa Football English for players and coaches in Thailand a credibility that no other residential football English programme in Thailand can match.
The Structure at Dragon Study Tours
Before arrival, Dragon Study Tours sends the tour organiser a complete Hatriqa study plan with clear objectives for every lesson. The three-block morning — listening and reading, speaking and grammar, collaborative project work — is adapted to the player and coach communication focus of the Hatriqa methodology. Native English teachers deliver every block. Every class is capped at a maximum of twelve students, ensuring that every player or coach in the group speaks in every session.
For the full story of where Hatriqa comes from, read How Hatriqa Was Created at UCL. For the Soccer Reader component of the programme, see The Hatriqa Soccer Reader Method Explained. For the full academic programme at Dragon Study Tours, visit the academic programme page. For the full excursion programme, the 50 Things to Do in Hua Hin covers every destination. Visit the booking page or request a quote.
