Karan’s Pathway: Beyond the Game
Kicking off his next chapter
For Karan, Bangkok Patana has been a landscape of friendships, football pitches, teachers who steadied him when life tilted. It was the steady shaping of a boy who would one day realise that sport was not just what he did, but who he was becoming. “I joined really early on,” he said, looking back at the sweep of Years 1 through 13. “Bangkok Patana has shaped me into who I am today. It’s developed my character. I first played football at Patana and I still play today.” For Karan, sport has never been an extra-curricular, it’s been his compass. With a move to the University of Manchester to study Management, one can’t help but smile and think: Manchester? Football? Karan? Hmm, wonder what drew him there…
Football arrived early and naturally, like a language he already knew. In Year 4, Karan travelled with his team to Phuket for the BISP tournament, where they finished undefeated. “We won every game,” he recalled, the memory warm even now, “That was when I realised how much I loved the game.” Over the years, as trips multiplied and destinations stretched further, SEASAC, BISP, tournaments across Thailand – he learned that sport could take him places both geographically and personally. By Year 10, he was part of the Varsity squad, playing and travelling with older, more experienced teammates. “Being exposed to football in different places helped me grow,” he said.
Football lit the path, but people lit the way. When he talks about his tutors and teachers, there is an unmistakable fondness. “Miss Marcovici, my tutor in Year 8 – she was really caring,” he said. “And my Head of Year, Miss Dale – they both nurtured me really well.”
Alongside Sport and Academics, Karan found space to give back. In Year 12, what began as a CAS project evolved into something he now speaks about with a quiet pride: Goals Beyond the Game. “I go to an orphanage and coach football,” he explained. The children range in age from seven to fourteen, some who had played before, others who hadn’t. He went once a week, every Sunday and for that hour or two, the pitch became a place of laughter, movement and possibility. “It was really nice to see the kids smile,” he said. “They collaborated, they expressed themselves. And I learned how to lead, how to strategise and innovate.” The project, he said, “became something I really enjoyed.”
When it came time to choose a university course, Karan leaned into both the practicality and passion that define him. He first imagined Sports Management, but ultimately chose Management with Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Manchester. “It doesn’t close my doors,” he said. “In the future, I want to work in sport. Management and strategy help with understanding long‑term change. Innovation helps with the future of sport. Entrepreneurship helps me lead in a global sports setting.” Manchester, he believes, will give him the intellectual grounding to shape the future of football, not just play it.
Not that he plans to stop playing. “I’ll definitely try to join the university team,” he said, “and maybe go to trials around England. I want to balance academics and football and play at the highest level possible.”
As he prepares to leave, he thinks about the friendships he’s made from Year 1 all the way to Year 13, the relationships he intends to carry across continents. He thinks about tournaments won and lost, the semi-final exit on penalties this year, which was “tough to see”, and the one tournament still left – one last chance at bringing a trophy home. And when asked, what he will miss the most at school, with a sheepish laugh he adds, “Froyo.”
Congratulations Karan! We are excited to watch you keep dribbling past challenges and scoring new milestones!
