24th June, 2012
Stadium
The New i-mobile Stadium, Buriram
Transport
Car
Cost
B1,500 petrol
B60 tolls
Travelling Time
(Total journey time via Korat)13 hours and 54 minutes
Total Distance Travelled (via Korat)
858kms
Match Ticket
B100
Programme
A glossy full colour 32 page magazine for B10. Loads of photos and features. Great value. No photos of Chonburi but a welcome message from the home chairman and a list of our recent results. Plus one paragraph about our coach and players. There are also a couple of photos of the Buriram United owner with his arm around two of our fans.
Club Shop
The Megastore looked mightily impressive from the outside - I didn't actually go in - and seemed to be doing a roaring trade. There were also a few extra stalls outside where you could buy shirts and scarves etc.
Away End
A narrow section in the corner of the North Stand (aka Karabaodang Stand). Even though we all had computerised, individually numbered tickets, there were clearly more people inside than there were seats. This led to the only gangway being blocked by fans standing and the only entrance/exit also being blocked. A potentially dangerous situation. My expressions of concern were completely ignored by the stewards in the home section just on the other side of the barrier. They showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in dealing with the situation - even though they were very insistent that the home fans next to us were all sitting in the correct place - and there were no stewards at all in our part of the ground. Once again, it was the sensible behaviour displayed by the travelling support that prevented any serious problems.
Staff
The ticket office staff were excellent. Whilst we were queueing, one lady asked if we were Chonburi fans and then promptly collected our money and came back a minute later with our tickets. She also told us exactly where we needed to go to get into the stadium. The food vendors too were very friendly and helpful, as were the two girls who sold me my programme.
However, the less said about the stewards, the better. The ones I met were the most pompous, arrogant, self centered bunch of people I have ever encountered in over fifteen years of attending football matches in Thailand. They refused to let me take my umbrella onto an open terrace, where I would be exposed to the elements, whilst allowing giant flags on sharpened flagpoles, drums, drumsticks and metal stands to walk straight through. At first they also objected to my friend taking in his inflatable Shark but relented after objections from other fans. As I mentioned earlier, they were completely hopeless when it came to a serious overcrowding issue inside. But they did look nice, in their uniforms and with their walkie-talkies.
Food
Loads available outside the ground - there's even a 7-11. I paid B60 for some sausages, look chin and chicken. The first two were alright but I rather suspect that the chicken wasn't cooked properly. I threw it away. The Blue Castle Cafe looked nice but it is only a small place and was very busy so I didn't even try to get served.
Beer
All the official outlets - including 7-11 - weren't selling beer before 5:00pm. Which was a pain because we arrived at 3:00pm. However, some of the visting fans had set up shop on the car park so we bought our refreshments from there; three cans of Leo for B100. You could by beer inside the ground (hurray!) but couldn't take it into the stand - which is fair enough. I felt really sorry for the three people behind the bar. They had to serve all the home fans through one hatch, the away fans through another much smaller hatch and people outside the ground through a third. As you can imagine, it was chaos at half time. Somehow, they coped and managed to carry on without losing their cool. An impressive effort.
Overall Experience
Stewards aside, it was a great trip. The home fans were very welcoming before the game and magnanimous in defeat afterwards. The set up at the New i-mobile is extremely impressive. Hundreds of local youngsters were involved in professionally run coaching sessions on two full size, well maintained pitches next to the ground during the afternoon and I think a large number of them stayed to watch the match.
The whole area outside the stadium was absolutely buzzing before and after the game. There were lots of activities to keep the kids amused and a concert by a live band for the older fans post match. There's no doubt that matchday in Buriram is not just about the football but is an event. The club is obviously at the centre of the community - not just the town but the whole province - and you can tell it has worked hard to make everyone feel as if they are a part of it. A truly fantastic effort by all involved.
Now, if only you could get your stewards to chill out a bit...
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