On Sunday I watched the top versus third clash between Muangthong United and Buriram United at the SCG Stadium. I’ve just about recovered from the hangover to write a little about the experience….
Football in Thailand?
I used to have a season ticket at Reading for ten seasons. I went every weekend and then fell out of love with going to live games for a while. When moving to Thailand I was aware there was a professional league but didn’t learn about it or watch any matches.
Around a year ago a friend invited me to see the Thai national team and it was a great experience. She also took me to see Muangthong United in a pre-season friendly and in the last few days I went back for my first league game.
Muanthong United?
From my limited knowledge, and a bit of Googling, Muangthong are a half decent team and in the past had famous players such as Robbie Fowler and Xisco (Newcastle).
Muangthong are located in the same complex as the Impact Arena, the most famous area for concerts and shows in Bangkok. It’s not the easiest ground to get to and as such is a bit of a trek for anyone living in central Bangkok. However, you can get taxis, vans and buses there so it isn’t impossible if you don’t have a car.
The stadium itself reminds me a little of the Bournemouth’s ground. 15,000 is the apparent capacity but it is usually not full as I’m told. The game I went to was a big match and still there were empty seats.
Tickets and Info
There’s a decent English language website – MTUTD.INFO where you can find out schedules and buy tickets etc. We paid 170 baht for our tickets which were near the halfway line in the top tier.
Other teams, most notably PORT FC, have fan run websties by expats but I can’t see anything for Muangthong. The PORT FC site is well worth a read if you are just looking for Thai football chat in English or attending a game there – PortFCSandpit.com Another site worth checking out is Thaifootie.com which covers interviews, reports and previews of games in Thailand.
Match Experience
The actual match day experience is interesting. It’s certainly not like going to a game in the UK. Sure you grab beers and food but it’s very much in a Thai style. We ended up hitting an Irish bar around 5 minute’s walk from the stadium for food and drinks. The SCG Stadium isn’t in the city and it feels like you’re on a complex and there is much of a vibe in the area.
It kind of felt like a more hi-so way of doing things. As we got to the stadium there were snacks to be had and more beer. The Leo, on tap at the stadium, is 90 baht a pint. It’s a cracking deal and even better you can take it into the ground with you.
Inside the stadium people sit where they want in general despite being allocated seat numbers. As it was raining, and we had been waiting for beers, we were a few minutes late so ended up being in the wrong seats, open to the elements. In the second half we changed to a different area without any problems.
The fans were loud, despite their team not playing very well and losing 3-0. In general it felt like a positive atmosphere, certainly not like in the UK where there would have been a lot of anger from home fans in such a situation. It’s definitely fine for kids and indeed there were a lot of groups of children there. The fans sang in Thai and English so you could join in if you wanted.
As a neutral at the game I didn’t notice any trouble and there were a fair few foreigners there. Getting away from the area can be difficult as taxis shaft people going back into Bangkok. We had some more food and drinks and ended up going home a few hours after the game when a taxi to Bearing cost me 250 baht including tolls.
The Standard
It’s hard to equate the standard of football with other leagues. Certainly there weren’t any players I’d back to make a career in England in the top two divisions. In the end I wasn’t too fussed about the level and just enjoyed it for what it was, a chance to watch live football.
In the end it won’t replace watching the Premier League on TV but maybe once or twice a season it’ll be worth going there.
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