On the afternoon of June 11, at the Champasak Provincial People's Council Office (Pakse City, Laos), Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Group officially signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Champasak Football Federation and Connected Sole Co., Ltd. This collaboration marks the official rebranding of the football club to Champasak HAGL Avenir FC.
According to the agreement, HAGL Group commits to serving as the main sponsor for Champasak HAGL Avenir FC for a duration of 3 years. Alongside comprehensive investments in the professional club, the group is donating 1,000 footballs to encourage the development of grassroots and school football throughout Champasak Province. Mr. Nguyen Chi Thang, Deputy General Director of HAGL Group in Laos, stated that following an official request from the Lao Football Federation, HAGL Group will sponsor and provide the best facility conditions for the Laos National Team during its training camp at the Ham Rong Training Center (Gia Lai). This training camp will take place from July 1 to July 15 to help the Laos National Team have the most thorough preparation in terms of both fitness and tactics before competing in the Southeast Asian Championship (ASEAN Hyundai Cup 2026).
Speaking about this major milestone, Mr. Keolattana Sihavong, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Council and President of the Champasak Football Federation, enthusiastically shared: “HAGL Group’s decision to invest in Champasak HAGL Avenir FC will help the team secure a stable and solid financial foundation. This is an important launching pad that helps us have enough strength to compete evenly with strong opponents, aiming for the goal of the Lao League 1 championship. I hope that our home matches in the new season will attract a massive number of fans to fill the stands.”
From an operational and professional perspective, Mr. Lee Dong Jun, Director of DJ Management (South Korea), emphasized the historic milestone of this signing ceremony for local football. “This is not merely a contract, but a strategic multinational cooperation project between Laos, Vietnam, and South Korea. By standing together, we are building and opening up opportunities to develop football across Southeast Asian nations. In the past 2025–2026 season, despite facing numerous challenges, we managed to finish in fourth place among ten competing teams. Now, I am fully confident that with structured investment from HAGL, combined with the support from the Champasak provincial government, the club will make a breakthrough, win the championship, and proudly represent Laos in Asian club competitions”.
Highlights from the ceremony
