The Nakhon Ratchasima Mazda FC (Thai: สโมสร ฟุตบอล จังหวัด นครราชสีมา) is a football club from Nakhon Ratchasima , in the northeast region of Thailand , the so-called Isan . The club plays in the Thai League , the top division in Thailand. The club is also called Korat FC . Korat is another common name for the city of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The club was founded in 1999. From then on, it took part in the Thailand Provincial League . A league parallel to the Thai League . The club played in the Pro League until 2006, but was mostly in the lower third of the table. For the 2007 season, the club moved to the second highest league in Thailand, the Thailand Division 1 League . As ninth in the table, however, the team had to relegate to the 3rd division. There they found themselves in a relegation battle, but could turn the tide. Five wins in a row helped narrowly avoid relegation in the end. Until 2011 they played in the third division. With a third place in 2011 one rose to the Thai Premier League Division 1 . In 2014 they became champions of Division 1 and rose to the Thai Premier League .
Stadion
80th birthday stadium
Nakhon Ratchasima plays its home games at the 80th Birthday Stadium . The stadium was the main venue for the 2007 Southeast Asian Games. Since the middle of the 2008 season, the multi-purpose stadium has been used by the club as its home ground. Before that, Nakhon Ratchasima Municipal Stadium (2008) and Pak Chong Municipal Stadium (2007) were played.