Soccer in Thailand

The Football in Thailand is organized by the Football Association of Thailand , short (FAT). Football in Thailand currently consists of separate leagues. The Thailand Provincial League , which is an amateur league, organized by the Sports Authority of Thailand , or SAT for short, and the Thailand Premier League or Thai League organized by the FAT. The latter is a semi-professional soccer league consisting of the Thailand Premier League, Thailand Division 1 and Thailand Division 2 League .

Even if professional football is very new in Thailand, football itself was introduced in Thailand as early as 1897.

In Thailand you can watch a lot of football matches live on television, with the English Premier League having the most fans and viewers here. But you can also watch the German Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal here on television. Every game in the 2006 World Cup was televised.

In 2007 Thailand hosted the Asian football championship alongside Indonesia , Vietnam and Malaysia . It was the second time since 1972 that Thailand hosted the Asian Cup.

The average attendance in the Thailand Premier League is very low. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the English Premier League is the supreme soccer league in Thailand, and on the other hand, most of the clubs in the Thailand Premier League are associations of state or private institutions from Bangkok and therefore do not represent a city or region.

history

Football was introduced in Thailand in 1897. In 1916 King Vajiravudh (Rama VI.) Founded "The Football Association of Thailand" or in full name "The Football Association of Thailand under Patronage of His Majesty the King" (in German: The Football Association of Thailand under the patronage of His Majesty the King ) . The association is still under his patronage today.

The Thai Football Association joined FIFA in 1925 and the AFC in 1957 .

The Thai national soccer team first took part in the Olympic Games in 1956.

The first football stadium was built in 1935. It was the Suphachalasai Stadium in Bangkok .

In 1968 the so-called King's Cup was held for the first time. The King's Cup is an international competition held in Thailand. In 1970 the Queen's Cup , the national cup competition , was held for the first time . Which, however, according to current information, should no longer be held until further notice.

Leagues and Competitions

There are currently two national league systems in Thailand :

The Thai League of the Football Association of Thailand - the semi-professional league consisting of 16 teams. Most of the teams belong to Thai authorities, the military or large private companies. In very few cases do they represent a city or region, such as Chonburi FC . There are a total of six leagues including the Thailand Premier League , Division 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The Thailand Provincial League of the Sports Authority of Thailand - consists of 18 amateur teams from different provinces of Thailand.
King's Cup - an annual football tournament for national teams held in Thailand.
Queen's Cup - an annual national cup competition.

Current league system

Level

Leagues / Divisions

1

Thailand Premier League
16 clubs

2

Division 1
16 clubs

3

Division 2
22 clubs

4th

Division 3 (Khǒr Royal Cup)

SAT Championship
( Thailand Provincial League )

Regional 1

Regional 2

Regional 3

Regional 4

Regional 5

5

Division 4 (Khor Royal Cup)

6th

Division 5 (Ngor Royal Cup)

League system 2006

Despite two separate league systems in Thailand, only the winner and the runner-up of the Thai league, which is organized by the Football Association of Thailand, are allowed to participate in the AFC Champions League and the AFC Cup .

From 2005 the champion and the runner-up of the Pro League were allowed to play in the Thai League. The proposed merger between the Thai League and Pro League into a single league, also supported by the Football Association of Thailand, failed despite several attempts. In 2007 the (FAT) finally announced that the Pro League will become part of the Thai League, but will continue to operate under the umbrella of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT).

The Thai league system 2007 below as a list:

Level	Leagues
1	Thailand Premier League 16 clubs
2	Division 1 16 clubs	Pro League 2 (Regional 1)	Pro League 2 (Regional 2)	Pro League 2 (Regional 3)	Pro League 2 (Regional 4)	Pro League 2 (Regional 5)
3	Division 2 11 clubs
4th	Division 3 (Khǒr Royal Cup)
5	Division 4 (Khor Royal Cup)
6th	Division 5 (Ngor Royal Cup)

player

Other competitions

The Chula Thammasat soccer game between Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University takes place annually. It is always played in January at the Suphachalasai Stadium . The first time this game took place in 1934.
The Jaturamitr Samakkee football tournament takes place every two years between the four oldest high schools in Thailand, the Suankularb Wittayalai School , Thepsirin School , Assumption College and Bangkok Christian College . This tournament was held for the first time in 1964.

Youth football

Youth football is very popular in Thailand and there are various competitions and many active clubs. The Bangkok Soccer League is a specially organized league for youth teams . Especially for children who attend international schools in Bangkok. About 500 children take part regularly, both children of Thais and expats. At the moment there is a lot of thought going on about how to improve youth football in order to achieve international standards. Among other things, there is a demand to bring Thai youth football to the Thai premier clubs. There coaches with appropriate soccer coaching licenses should then work. This league has improved enormously in 2009 compared to previous years.

Web links

Commons : Association football in Thailand - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files