Q - Please can you introduce yourself
Prantarit (Payu) Nerngchamnong, age 32, I'm from Bangkok but my family is originally from Ban Bueng, Chonburi. I've been the President of Pattaya United since January, 2015.
Q - What previous football management experience do you have?
I do not have any previous football management experience, actually I only played 3 years of football back in boarding school in America. However, I have founded and managed Post- Collegiate men's lacrosse club in New York City. Which is now one of the biggest clubs in NY with over 150 players, and multiple sub teams.
Then I founded Thailand Lacrosse Association in 2010 and created the governing body for the sport in Thailand. As well as set up and managed the Men's National Team, which won the Bronze medal in Beijing at the Regional Championship in 2013, then played in the World Cup of lacrosse in 2014, and finally hosted and won the Silver medal at the Regional Championship earlier this month.
Q - How did you first get involved with Pattaya Utd?
First of all I have always been the Sharks' fan, and tried to go to the home games any chance I could. But with my work, I spent more time in Bangkok so I also became a Muang Thong Utd fan as well. Going to sporting events reminded me of my life back in America, and over the years I have seen the progress in the professional sport scene in Thailand, to the point where it became interesting for me to look into getting into the sporting business. The opportunity came when Chonburi FC was looking to concentrate solely on their club, and wanted someone who can "do right" by Pattaya Utd, and take over the club.
They also wanted to make sure that all the work they had done for the club over the years would not be wasted. They also didn’t want to move the team somewhere else. So I asked to be considered, and showed them my plans for the future of Pattaya Utd. The rest is history. I truly appreciate the opportunity I was given, despite my lack of experience in this field. Because of my family ties to Chonburi, and being a life long "Chonburian" or "Khon Chon", I feel it is my duty to make sure that a team in Chonburi province, under my leadership, will be something we all can be proud of.
Q - Please can you explain the club’s links with Muang Thong Utd?
I have known the Siam Sport group for several years, prior to me taking over at Pattaya Utd, through their generous support to the Thailand Lacrosse Association. We have been allowed to use their stadium as a home stadium to host other national teams that came to compete with us, since 2010.
I'm also a Muangthong fan on top of being a Chonburi fan. I just don't go to the games when they play one another. Over the years I've developed a relationship with the organization, so when I had to put together the team from scratch very quickly, they stepped in to help loan the players, filling the roster, and assist in the football operation side during my first year running the club. But the two organizations are independent of one another, decisions are made in respective boardrooms separately.
Q - What are your short term and long term ambitions for the club?
For the short term our goal is to focus on doing the best we can for the city of Pattaya and Chonburi province. Being competitive in League One, and hopefully when we're ready, to compete in the TPL. We are not in a hurry, this is a learning year for us, you cannot count the previous years of the club’s existence, as we had to start everything from scratch six months ago.
Q - How do you promote the club in the local community?
It needs to be looked at in two parts:
1. Bring back the existing PUTD fans, restoring and renewing the hope and faith in the team again.
2. Getting the word out to the new fans. We need to make PTUTD the "home team" of Pattaya City in all sports, not just for soccer.
Q - As everyone knows, Pattaya has a very large ex-pat community. What - if anything - are you doing to attract them to the stadium?
Pattaya United already has the number one ex-pat fans ratio out of the 38 teams in both leagues, but it does not mean that we are satisfied. We have many plans to reach out to those specific groups of ex-pats, as we don't look at them as all "the same". However, I do feel we need to reach out to all PUTD fans, regardless of their heritage, reaching new and existing fans alike.
Q - You seem a very "hands on" chairman, how are you involved in the day to day running of the club?
Hands on? Yes and No. I am involved in all the decisions, but I do not interfere. I have set a system in place that separates the "front of the house" (the football matter on the field) and "back of the house" (the business operational aspect of it). The two parts are working together toward the same goal, but independent of one another.
Q - Do you consult regularly with fans and canvass their opinions on how the club is run?
I do listen to the fans. I read the facebook comments and other social media blogs. Also I take time to meet at least one or two fans at each game (home or away), and just listen to them. Then I take it all into consideration when we have PUTD managerial meetings, but then again we make sure the final decision we make is for the best of the club as a whole, not just for individual fans.
Q - You frequently engage with fans on social media and are not afraid to get into discussions - which is much appreciated. This is a very different approach to that employed by the chairmen/women of other clubs. Why do you do it and why do you think it is important?
If the fans (or non-fans) have questions for me, then I should answer what I can within an appropriate parameter. Whether it is a proper approach by the person at the top of the club or not, I don't know. However, I do feel that it allows people to connect to our club at another level.
Q - What is the best and worst thing about being the chairman of a football club?
With regards to the best and the worst, I don't know yet to be honest, it's still too early. I suppose, it is an honour to be part of this small group of 38 people in Thailand who are in the same position but it does come with a lot of burden and responsibility, not just within the team but to the city and the fans we represent.
Q - Which other Thai clubs and chairmen and chairwomen do you admire and why?
There are several pioneer clubs out there that paved the way for the newer clubs today, without whom our sport would not be where it is today. It goes without saying that the "big three" will always cast the big shadow on the league, despite the emergence of the newer clubs. All of this is not an easy task, and the current chairmen/women are big contributing factors for the future of our sport. So I truly admire all of them, and am honoured to be part of this.
Q - Your decision to charge visiting fans more than home fans caused some controversy when it was announced earlier this season. Please can you explain the reasoning behind it?
The Thai fans enjoy one of the lowest ticket prices for a professional soccer matches in the World, yet the type of talents playing here in Thailand is in contrast to what the fans pay for. The fans demanded the club to acquire better players, which translate into more expensive salaries. I always believe that football can be an actual business here, just like in other parts of the world. But we need to make the necessary changes to make that happen, part of which includes better experience for the fans (home or visiting fans). We have made improvements and changes to the stadium to accommodate our fans, and visiting fans. All of which cost money. We are not looking to profit from the fans by this price increase on the ticket, it is merely to help offset the added operational expenses that are required to make the experience at the Dolphins Stadium more enjoyable for all. I should point out that the price increase also applied to tickets for the PUTD fans across the board as well.
Q - Do you think it has had an affect on the number of visiting fans who have travelled to the Dolphins Stadium this season?
Probably, but by how much I don't know. But then again, it is not our intention to put people off. One thing is for certain, whether there are only 4 or 400 visiting fans, we still want to make sure we accommodate all of them just the same.
Q - What kind of crowd are you expecting on Wednesday?
Hard to say, because it is a mid week match. Regardless, I know it will be an exciting match to watch and I hope that whether they are a Chonburi or PUTD fan, or even a neutral, that people in the area would come out and watch some great football on Wednesday night. I have also made 600 tickets available for Chonburi fans. This is 200 more than we usually allocate to away supporters so I'm hoping that will help to boost the attendance.
Q – You have beaten two other TPL sides (Chiang Rai Utd and Port FC) in the previous rounds. Do you think you can repeat these feats on Wednesday?
My team has already exceeded my expectations in the League Cup thus far, we have defeated not just one but two good TPL teams to get to the Final sixteen teams. The most important thing is for us to focus on what we can learn from our top opponents in this tournament, to help us prepare for the League One opponents in leg two.
Q - What are your expectations for Wednesday's match?
A good match for the fans of both sides, regardless of the result.
Q - What are your thoughts on Chonburi FC?
As I mentioned previously, I am a Sharks fan myself, therefore I will always hold Chonburi FC in the highest regard. I still have all the jerseys from over the years and do wear them proudly from time to time, despite myself now being associated with PUTD. The club will always be one of the pillars of Thai football, and will continue to be a force in the TPL for years to come. Something that we aspire PUTD to become one day.
Q - Which of our players are you most wary of and why?
I’d say all of them. Chonburi is a multiple threats team and people don't give them enough credit for that. It will be a tough 90 minutes this Wednesday for our team and we'll have our hands full. But I'll let my boys in the front of the house worry about that instead.
Actually, I'm a bit of star struck when it comes to Chonburi players. I enjoy their style of football, although the results this season haven't reflected that. The determination and relentlessness come down to the leadership of "Na Terd" Therdsak Jaiman, and "Tee" Sinthaweechai, one of the best keepers in the country, who will certainly frustrate our boys looking to score on Wednesday.
Q - Would you care to make a score prediction?
No I wouldn't, because I never do for any of our games. Anything can happen in 90 minutes of football. I just hope for a good, clean game for the fans.
Q - Do you have a message for the travelling Chonburi fans?
Chonburi fans are always welcome to the Dolphins Stadium, not just this Wednesday night. After all, PUTD is another team within Chonburi province. Drive safely here, and we hope you all enjoy the show.
No comments:
Post a Comment