by Rob Bernard
When I mention that I go to football matches while on holiday in Thailand it’s often met with some strange looks; at least from people who don’t know me too well. Those that do are just as likely to give a knowing raising of the eyebrows. My hobby of groundhopping even has some fervent football fans in a state of befuddlement. Let me explain it.
I love football. And cricket. My foremost passion is for travel to visit new places and socialising with good people.
My preferred means of travel is alongside locals as cheaply as possible and visiting local bars and places to eat. Fine dining, posh hotels or first-class travel has never done it for me. Providing somewhere is relatively clean and I feel safe, then that’ll do for me. Different strokes for different folks.
Now as luck would have it, those key components are perfectly aligned for heading off to follow the delights of football in Thailand as a groundhopper.
To offer some background into my enthusiasm for Thai football, I first visited to the ‘Land of Smiles’ in 2004 to visit my best mate Steve, who’d found himself in Bangkok after a period of adventure travelling, where he was now teaching English as a foreign language.
I had no real thoughts of the Thai domestic game back then. Sure, I knew that Thailand had a national team and some English sides had visited to play friendlies, but that was about it aside from seeing some photos of the Suphachalasai National Stadium in an edition of the Groundtastic magazine, a journal for groundhopping and stadium enthusiasts.
Steve lived on the eastern outskirts of the city in an area called Bang Chan, where I stayed with him for my first two or three visits. Depending on our route to visit the city we would go past an impressive stadium, which I later found out to be Rajamangala. I needed to know more.
In 2005 after a beer or two I suddenly pondered while around a table with friends as to why there was no cricket being played in Thailand? I thought it a perfect place to take touring sides. A seed was sown which would eventually see me set up a fledgling business prior to finding out that the game was already being played in the country. This led to meetings at possible hosting venues with locals and those already involved with cricket and expat business in Bangkok.
Around the same time, Steve and I went to Hua Hin for a couple of nights. While there we went to an internet café so we could check our emails. To fill in the hour we were surfing the net when I decided to see if I could find out anything about domestic football in the country.
I don’t remember too much aside from Bangkok Bank being a prominent club that actually had a website of their own and their striking pink kit standing out at a time when it was rarely used as a team colour.
My return in March and April 2006 would ensure a long lasting relationship with Thailand as my life changed forever as we made our first ever visit to the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes as well as also meeting the gents from an organisation called the Asian Cricket Sixes Tour (ACST) who ran events in the region.
I am good friends to this day with many who I met on that trip. I was hooked with the whole concept of the short form of the game in that heat and immediately gave up hope of competing with my own business. In the motto of the old beer advert from when I was a kid trumpeting Tetley Bitter “If you can’t beat em. Join em” Indeed I have since that day, more of which later.
Back home in London I slowly began to search the internet trying to find out more about the football clubs, league set ups and stadiums in Thailand. Armed with information a year later I went to visit Rajamangala and other venues around the capital one midweek day travelling with often confused taxi drivers. I was hooked even though there were no games I could attend because of cricket commitments.
It had been a favourite hobby on mine back home in England for many years. To this day I am in my element with a travel ticket, a map, some research and the day to myself to explore new places while visiting football grounds and taking photos wherever I find myself on my extensive travels.
The hobby of few, but absolute heaven to me. That said, I suspect there are far more of you out there who’d give it a go if you had the spare time and no pressing commitments!
Back to Bangkok, full of myself after a cracking day out I headed down to Ekamai bus station the following day and bought a ticket to Chonburi, failing to put into account that the advertised travel time was for display purposes only and bore absolutely no relation to reality.
I was to be brought back down to earth with a bump and given an early warning that following football in a foreign land, with a completely different alphabet and language was not always going to be simple.
I’d enjoyed a good guffaw at the expense of my Aussie pals from Melbourne at the cricket because Chonburi had recently defeated Victory in the Champions League, so I was keen to see where the action had taken place.
To cut a long story short I arrived down the gulf short of time before my scheduled return trip, with little English spoken or written. I ended up taking photos of the pitch and little stands at Chonratsadon Amrung School rather than Chonburi Municipality Stadium more in hope than belief that I’d identified the correct venue.
An aborted debut motor bike taxi ride, where I thought I was about to soil myself and a return to my see my rather infuriated host locked out of the house following my delayed return bus with the only key in my pocket on a boiling hot day added to the general fiasco. But you know what? I would not have swapped it for the world. It was fun.
I later found an array of sports shops on another visit into the city between the National and Chulalongkorn Stadiums which sold shirts of Thai League clubs, treating myself to a selection. The local sizes were figure hugging to say the least. I prayed they didn’t shrink when I sweat! I also discovered PAT Stadium as I filled in a bit of time between lunch and evening drinks.
Other mishaps have followed along occasionally just to ensure I never get too big for my boots. I turned up to watch Lamphun Warrior after the cricket in Chiang Mai only to turn up at an empty stadium, to find out that they had moved the fixture to the previous day to avoid the elections. It gave my pals a good laugh when I returned to the pub.
Something similar occurred in 2018 when the scoreboard at Rangsit University revealed that I’d missed a game by twenty-four hours. A lesson to always check the information available before setting off.
Last year, Steve, who has become a regular companion at matches, was with me when only the kindness of a local Udon Thani fan saved us from being stranded at their remote stadium after full time. We presumed the taxi that dropped us off earlier might have returned. No chance.
Yet, a far more pressing issue had raised its head on the trip. We were to meet friends in Buriram on Tuesday afternoon for their Champions League tie, only to find our one route was to go by train at 5.45 in the morning. I had wrongly presumed that there would be direct bus between the two places. Again, another fun adventure, though my pal didn’t chortle much at the time.
My actual initiation into watching matches came through the shambles of another altogether creation in 2010 when the Icelandic Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption caused chaos for air travellers, extending my holiday by ten days.
Opportunity knocked as far as I was concerned. The holiday had already provided additional excitement of sorts with the political protests going on around the country. Indeed, an adventure into Bangkok with a fellow stranded mate saw us miss a bombing by half an hour. All part of the fun!
The heated situation added to further complications to the next set of fixtures at the weekend, with some games being postponed, not that such trifling matters as rioting and explosions were going to deter me.
I was delighted that the match between Army United and Bangkok United was still to take place, which begged the question of what the hell were the army doing during the unrest. Not to worry. I was happy because I knew it was a decent stadium, and quite easy to locate with it being next to a main road to Don Muang Airport. Steve and Neil laughed as they waved me on my way in the taxi. My moonlightling driver knew exactly where to go as an off duty servicemen!
I had a whale of a time. The game was average, but I loved the whole all round experience. The cheap beers, food stalls, the friendliness of the fans, the cheap admission charge and buying a replica shirt for less than I paid for a pie at some grounds in the UK. I also enjoyed being just about the only westerner in the home end. Fans smiled and nodded. I felt totally comfortable as a guest and accepting their way of doing things.
My rule of thumb, and I appreciate that it may divide opinion, is whenever a visitor to follow the rules and respect the locals. If you’re not prepared do that or not willing to accept them, then don’t go. It’s that simple to me.
Some ex-pat fans in Thailand have me shaking my head in disbelief. I think their attendance is a good thing. Same as holidaymakers. I wish a few more would give it a go.
But I struggle to get my head around why anyone would expect it to be exactly how they want it and remember it from back home. It never will be. Just go along and enjoy it for what it is. Yes, there will be cause for grumbles, but the way the game has gone in England has me screaming at times as well.
I have great sympathy for those who have integrated and helped at clubs and then see their support unappreciated. There is no worse feeling. Wherever in the world. Perhaps there is no greater advert for being a groundhopper than a devoted fan of one team? It certainly saves on emotion.
I sympathise having suffered from throwing my lot in at times with organisations. Loyal supporters in Thailand like elsewhere go to the trouble of organising time off for games and arranging travel, only for late changes or a whole chunk of fixtures to be changed with only a few days’ notice like towards the end of the 2014 season. That was plain crackers and I’m sure that there are plenty of other examples of unexplained madness.
I am likely to have a completely different take on things if I had invested huge swathes of time, emotion and cash into a particular team. I was pretty miffed after turning up to support Hendon at a home and away game within four days to see both postponed after I arrived at the ground, so I get it.
There is a Thai side that I like to see doing well, but their results don’t change my life one way or the other. The latest awful world crisis has outlined what I’d gradually sussed with age. It’s only a game. It doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.
As a groundhopper I see the unpredictability and sometimes amateurish ways of the set up both interesting and sometimes hilarious. It certainly keeps you on your toes if your making plans.
Before criticising too far as a non-national, I think it’s worth bearing in mind how we’d feel at our own particular club or league set up if a group from overseas turned up and started making demands and moaning if everything wasn’t to their satisfaction. I know it would give me the right hump. It does in the Premier League! It’s one of the reasons I no longer recognise or follow it at any length.
To me the positives of Thai football far outweigh the negatives. I see the match as only lasting ninety minutes or so. It is only part of the reason I go to football. I go as much for the peripheral stuff.
If I had to rely on a decent match every time I paid, I’d have packed in years ago. A good game is obviously a bonus, but I make sure that a bad one will not ruin the day.
I enjoy travel no matter how far, providing that time is no issue. In Thailand I have gone by canal, sky train, on foot, underground, songthaew, bus, train and taxi. Travelling to games offers its own opportunity of sightseeing and education. I listen to music or take a book in between just simply looking out of the window.
On my return I chart my journey on Google Maps so I see where I’ve been and read up on anything I wasn’t sure of at the time. It sometimes leads to a return just to rediscover bits that I missed. The place simply fascinates me.
On one occasion Steve were trying to get to an evening midweek kick off at SCG Stadium without much success while stood on Sukhumvit Road. My mate tapped on the window of a locals’ car carrying a Muangthong scarf. He gave us a lift through the packed traffic and dropped us off, even missing kick off himself despite being a season ticket holder. How nice was that?
Once at the stadium I enjoy the food stands, grabbing a beer and generally wandering about people watching. Often a local will chat. I’ve spoken to bewildered locals in provincial towns wondering what I was doing going to watch their local team. It always raises a smile when I explain even if they don’t totally get it.
Obviously, there are negatives.
Tracks around pitches are a pain, but that’s slowly changing with new purposed built stadiums. And I know before I set off anyway. My choice.
I don’t like away fans being charged more than home fans for an often far inferior view. But then again, it takes me back to the 80’s in England. My favourite time of watching football.
The late change in fixtures are a pain. It doesn’t affect groundhoppers quite as such as we usually find alternatives, but I do sympathise with regulars of a club who have to arrange their matches around work.
Players diving does my head in. But it does so anywhere in the world. Thailand is no better or worse than some games I have seen in France, Spain, Austria and even certain clubs in England.
There are loads of other little grumbles I can throw in. Poor administrators, a poor FA, kick off times for TV, megalomaniac egotistical owners, clubs moving towns, dubious refereeing, poor players.
All of which can be improved upon but are no different to elsewhere. To be honest. I’m quite a fan of a dodgy keeper or two or hopeless refereeing. It all adds to the entertainment. As a neutral groundhopper anyway!
If I had to make suggestions on how to improve things, I’d look to bring in experts to offer guidance at the league and FAT headquarters. There’s no need be defensive or in denial. We can all continue to learn. It’s not an easy job running any organisation. Nobody will be happy all the time. That’s life. Just do your best but listen and learn. I don’t think the Thai League or FAT do that enough, but they are definitely not alone.
If I was to offer tips to anyone fancying a spell of adventure and eye opening as a groundhopper. then I’d say that preparation is the key and always try to have a back up plan for unexpected mishaps.
Don’t set off with unrealistic expectations of what standard the game will be or that of the stadium. Be prepared to laugh at yourself when things invariably go wrong from time to time. Give yourselves plenty of time wherever possible.
If you have a regular travelling companion, make sure you’re both positive types and have a sense of humour. My best pal is featured in a few of the above tales. There are plenty more moments that have led to a brief differing of opinion or silence before normal order is restored, usually over a beer. Steve is definitely a top bloke or he’s just as daft as me. Pick your travel mates with care!
Yeah, all in all I thoroughly enjoy the experience of Thai football. Every January I check Twitter, Facebook and websites to see if there is any news of the fixtures so that I can plan to go to a few games around my cricketing duties.
On night shift in my own time I have the train timetables out with Google Maps, the websites for Booking.com, Bangkok Buses, Skyscanner and the Thai League. I try to combine double header matches, some on the same day, but otherwise over a weekend. Ideally, to somewhere I haven’t been before that is easily accessible.
At present I have attended football from non-league upwards at 617 different grounds with an approximate count of just short of 2,000 matches in 20 different countries. My Thai count stands at 39 matches in 30 different stadiums.
Four of those games were at the PAT Stadium. If I cheer for any Thai club, it’s Port. Though I must confess I am slightly put off by the “look at us” antics from some ex-pat fans down there. I apologise if I have read it wrong? Some Thais might have that opinion of me when I rock up in an obscure venue?
I was scheduled to attend Thailand v Indonesia, a preliminary FA Cup tie and to watch one of the Chiang Mai sides during my visit this year, before it had to be cancelled along with all the cricket owing to the terrible COVID-19 pandemic.
If all goes to plan, I aim to retire from my job at 55 in November and head to Thailand full time. These days I am still heavily involved with the cricket tournaments I fell in love with many years ago, but now on the committees as a volunteer.
That’s plenty to keep me occupied along with the aim of kicking back, extending my musical and literary education, learning the lingo, keeping fit and enjoying a place I really love while trying to live as much as possible like a local. Most of all I just want to be around nice smiling people.
It will coincide with travelling to as many new football grounds in as many different locations as possible, ideally by bus and train. Only time will not be an issue. Now that does sound like heaven.
I thoroughly recommend the experience!
Stay safe everyone.
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