Football in Thailand
Football in Thailand is organized by Football Association of Thailand (FAT).
Football is the most popular sport in Thailand.[1][2] Although the professional football leagues are new to Thai people, football was introduced to Thailand as far back as 1897. Many Thais also watch football on local and paid-cable TV. Many matches, especially those in the English FA Premier League can be watched free on local channels. Thai channels broadcast every match of the 2006 World Cup.
In 2007, Thailand co-hosted the Asian Cup 2007 with three other countries. This was the second time the event had been held in Thailand, the first being in 1972.
Contents
History
Football was introduced into Thailand in 1897. In 1916, King Vajiravudh founded "The Football Association of Thailand under Patronage of His Majesty the King." After that the association joined the FIFA in 1925 and AFC in 1957.
Thailand national football team joined Olympic Games first time in Australia in 1956
The first football stadium, Suphachalasai Stadium, was built in 1935. King's Cup, the first football cup was introduced in 1968. And then two years later, Queen's Cup, a national cup competition, started in 1970.
Thai football competitions
Leagues and tournaments
League competitions in Thailand include :
High-Division
Low-Division
For promotion to Regional League Division 2 Bangkok & field Region:
- Football Royal Cup - (Division 3 A) For the general teams.
- Khǒr Royal Cup (Thai: ถ้วย ข.) - Division 3 - 1 A - The top two teams are promoted into Division 2.
- Khor Royal Cup (Thai: ถ้วย ค.) - Division 3 - 2 A
- Ngor Royal Cup (Thai: ถ้วย ง.) - Division 3 - 3 A
(See also: Thai football league system for the additional detail about league system.)
Domestic Cup competitions
- Thai FA Cup - an annual tournament of football clubs in Thailand.
- Thai League Cup - an annual tournament of football clubs in Thailand.
- Kor Royal Cup (Thai: ถ้วย ก.) - an annual match between the champions of the Thai Premier League and the champions of the Thai FA Cup
International Cup competitions
- King's Cup - an annual international football competition for national teams.
- Queen's Cup - an annual international football cup competition for football club teams.
Other competitions
- Chula-Thammasat Traditional Football Match, an annual match between Chulalongkorn University and Thammasat University on January at Suphachalasai Stadium. It first started in 1934.
- Jaturamitr a bi-annual competition of four oldest high schools in Thailand (Suankularb Wittayalai School, Debsirin School, Assumption College, and Bangkok Christian College). It first started 1964.
Timeline
History of events in Thai football
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1996 |
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1998 |
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2000 |
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2001 |
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2002 |
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2003 |
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2006 |
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2007 |
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2008 |
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2009 |
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2010 |
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Youth football
Youth football is very popular in Thailand, with several competitions and clubs being active. Bangkok Youth League provides the top level of youth football in Bangkok with a membership that includes teams from Thai Premiership Academies, such as BEC Tero and Chonburi Sharks, as well as local and International Academies such as iPlay Soccer Schools. It provides a structured, competitive environment for over 1000 players aged 6–16 years. Bangkok Soccer League is a youth football club organised for children attending international schools in Thailand and provides regular football for over 500 kids, both Thai and expat. 555
Thai notable players
- Bamrong Boonprom
- Dassakorn Thonglao ("Go")
- Kawin Thamsatchanan ("Tong")
- Kiatisuk Senamuang ("Zico")
- Piyapong Piew-on ("Took")
- Sarayoot Chaikamdee
- Seksan Piturat ("James")
- Surat Sukha
- Suree Sukha
- Sutee Suksomkit
- Tawan Sripan ("Ban")
- Teerasil Dangda ("Mui")
- Teeratep Winothai ("Leesaw")
- Therdsak Chaiman ("Uncle Therd")
- Dusit Chalermsan
- Netipong Srithong-In ("Alfred")
- Natee Thongsookkaew
- Witthaya Hloagune ("Oji") previously ("Heng")
See also
- Thai football league system
- Thailand Football Records and Statistics
- List of football clubs in Thailand
- Thailand Futsal League
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Football in Thailand. |