The evolution of Thai football

EDIT: I've corrected several of the typos in this blog, which were caused by a rubbish keyboard (and, of course, the plonker typing the blog).

I have, in the past, made some disparaging comments about Thai football and Thai footballers on this blog. It is, therefore, my duty to set the record straight.

Whenever I've been asked about Thai football, I have told friends that it is Sunday league standard and nobody goes to the games. This is the general axiom of Thai football held not only by farangs, but a good number of locals, too. Slowly though, the tide is turning.

The Thai FA (full of allegations of corruption and incompetence) set up the Thai Premier League a few years back and since then, have very slowly set about making some of the changes required to build a successful football league.

Step one was to dissolve the provincial leagues. Nobody is going to get too fanatical about a league in which you know which teams you will play every week, and with no major awards to win. One extra benefit of this is that some of the Bangkok teams have moved to other areas and given locals in large cities or provinces such as Kanchanaburi a team to follow.

Step two was to encourage teams to adopt real names. Many teams had (and some still have) ridiculous names of private teams such as 'Krung Thai Bank' and 'Chulalongkorn University'. This would be the equivalent of UK fans supporting teams with names like 'Natwest Bank' and 'Durham University'.

Actually, the Thai FA decreed that all teams must become private entities (no doubt some money was made by someone high up with this move) but the side effect was the desired one. We now have teams like 'Bangkok United' instead of 'Krung Thai Bank FC'. New team badges and strips have appeared at the same time, all helping to add to a sense of identity for players and fans.

Finally - and most importantly - money has started coming into the leagues. Massive sponsors such as Beer Chang, Yamaha, Coca Cola and many more have poured sponsorship money into the TPL. Already the befits of improved stadia and promotion are starting to show.

There are still massive steps to be taken though. Despite the rapid changes, many Thai football fans are blissfully unaware of their local team or even the league as a whole, they still have the same impression I had. Far more advertisement and coverage is required, but efforts are being made....

I saw an advertisement for Bangkok United in the Bangkok Post (where else?) and was intrigued by the idea of a Thai team carrying a proper football name. A little internet research revealed that my local team had also become a real team, with a remarkably impressive website and an incredibly popular fan site. Last weekend I went to my first game in a sold out stadium, jam packed full of fans, of which I honestly believe at least eighty percent were wearing the replica team shirts. The noise was amazing, the loudest I've heard since Southampton's days in the EPL.

The standard of football itself is not world class, Chonburi's star player is a Welshman released on a free transfer by Northwich Victoria for example, but there is a good pace to the games with moments of skill thrown in. The ticket prices for every team are ridiculously cheap, unlike the English leagues, the Thai leagues are still looking to attract fans rather than bleed them dry.

So if you're a footie fan in Thailand,google (or wiki search) for "Thai Premier League 2009", check out your local footie team and go and watch. You might not be blown away by the skill on display but you'll be impressed by the passion, devotion and friendliness of the fans and players. You'll also be doing your bit to help out a league that is trying hard to expand and improve. More people should know about Thai football.

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Football is the most popular sport in laos, especially in my a little town which hasn't a nice place to play the football, as i remember, i 've started to play th the football when i was very small, and played in the primary school was never tired, we had taken a break time after class in the morning and organized a game with other classes, i dont remember how many people for each team, but i remember that it was a funny game and amazing. it was so expensive to buy a ball in that time Laos didnt has a factory that could make the ball and other sport facilities ,100% of the sport equipments were imported from neighboring thailand and vietnam. i remember the ball that we always play at the school was made in vietnam which was very light and it flied very high when it was kicked, it was a good feeling when you kicked that made in vietnam football. in cotrast , some of people had a good quality football which made in thailand or some country, its brand was adidas or some thailand's brand. we ussually didnt play that ball, because some of my friends didnt own that.

I had to take care of cows and bufflalo after school and it's time to play sport. there was quie big yard in front of my house which has quite smooth grass and flat which was very suitable to play the football, normally there were some neighboring friend came to play together. the ball was somone's who brought to play, i did remember that i didnt own any ball when i was a kid.

sometimes, i always joined the completition in the village nearby where the young kids always betting for the game, which team lost would be paid the money. i played with naked foot, because as you know, the poverty in LAOS, The kid don't have even the sheoes to wear to school, so a piar of sheoe to play football? i think it's only for a rich family who can afford it. but for me, it was hard to have a pair of football sheos.

when i was growing up when i was in the middle-school, i still didnt have a piar of shoes, sometimes someone had stepped on my naked feet when i played, it was so hurting , but I never feel to give up this sport, this is a what i like and play.

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