PHUKET's innovative non-stop 24-hour beach football competition has fallen over in a scoreless draw with Asean conferences.

Because Asean is holding one education conference on Phuket from April 5-9 and a major Asean (Plus Six) summit from April 10-12, the beach football has been postponed.

It is likely to be held now at the beginning of May, a Tourism and Sport official told Phuketwan

The original plan was for football non-stop for 24 hours before the Songkran Festival in mid-April, with 120 teams expected to play.

Now the tournament, entitled Phuket International Midnight Beach Soccer 2009, will be rescheduled sometime soon.

The plan is to have two competitions, one for tourists and the other for residents.

The Asean education conference will be held on Phuket from April 5-9.

The Education Minister, Jurin Laksanawist, visited Phuket earlier this month to examine the venue, Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket, and finalise planning.

''Phuket has coped with international seminars many times and this is a chance to show the appeal of the island as a destination for tourism,'' he said.

Timor Leste, former known as East Timor, will join the gathering of education ministers from the 10 member countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

The meeting hopes to confirm the principle of education for all under a UNESCO principle that aims for everyone in the world to be receiving an education by 2015.

Among the countries attending will be Burma, where Rohingya Muslims are denied citizenship, an education, and any hope of progress.

Education for disabled will also be high on the agenda.

Education standards in Thailand were quite high and the Government intended to continue the policy of free study for everyone for 15 years, Khun Jurin said.

He added that the standards of teachers' education really determined the future of school children.

The Asean (Plus Six) event, also at the Sheraton, will be attended by the 10 Asean nations plus China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and India.

Economic investment and tourism are expected to be high on the agenda.

Competitors are expected to join the five-a-side beach football competition from around the world.

The Governor, Dr Preecha Ruangjan, said Phuket was the first destination in the world to adopt the idea. He is hoping to receive Guinness Book of World Records endorsement.

The beach soccer follows the success of the women's beach volleyball international tournament, which has grown into a prominent tourist attraction on Karon beach over the past few years.

Registrations for the football tournament, which will be held at Karon, Kamala and Patong, are being accepted now through Tourism and Sport on +66 (0) 76 217054.

Alternative numbers at the tessabans for the beaches are Karon: +66 (0) 76 330186, Patong: +66 (0) 76 344255, Kamala: +66 (0) 76 385640-4.