Home of Nakorn Ratchasima FC
by Russ John
His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5th December 2007 Stadium. Quite a mouthful!
The home of Nakhon Ratchasima FC is set in a park like campus alongside swimming pool, indoor arena and associated training facilities constructed in 2007 for the SEA games of 2008.
Welcome to the Stadium.
I did not live in Nakhon Ratchasima until 2009 so I missed the games but what a sight the stadium must have looked, the sparkling crown jewel of the games campus. The old girl has gone the same as many National and International games facilities, neglected until recently with surroundings unkempt and untidy. I remember well on a visit to Barcelona and viewing the iconic swimming lido from where the divers were seen flying with Barcelona city shimmering in the background now overgrown and neglected behind rusty padlock and chain – anyway I digress!!
The old girl has recently been completely refurbished with new seats, pitch and running track. I cannot comment on the improvements, as, due to the Corona virus situation, I have not been able to visit. My only hope is that the new seats will not be adorned with the usual pigeon sh@t!!
So the whole complex is accessed from highway 304 with a dedicated access road. The ground is a fair way out of the city center so a taxi or motorcycle is essential if you do not have your own transport. On the left is ample parking – a big plus for me. The dedicated way in is great pregame but be pepared for a real jam after the match, when everyman and his dog is trying to exit onto the 304!!!
The Stadium is a perfect circle – great for me ‘cos I absolutely love symmetrical stadia. My home town team's stadium in the UK has, in my opinion, been spoiled by the building of a new stand that doesn’t, at the present time, quite fit in – but again I digress!!
From the immense car park, a path leads you to the Stadium and one can meander peacefully past the plethora of ubiquitous stalls selling sausages on a stick and chicken’s arses. At the end of this row of stalls you will find a table of old cronies from the UK, Australia and Sweden chewing the cud and sipping ale, joined often by opposition fans.
Now apologies to visiting fans. Being tucked away in a corner miles from the pitch is no fun. I just wish the powers that be would allocate a portion of space opposite the main stand for visiting fans. It would add to the general atmosphere and provide away fans with a much richer experience.
So a perfect orange circle awaits you when you climb the stairs and emerge to see the pitch and the surrounding terraces – when the ground is near to capacity, as it is a couple of matches per season, there is NO better atmosphere to be had in a Thai stadium.
Any account of the Stadium would be lacking without mention of that fateful day when 34 000 fans were crammed into the Stadium for the game against local rivals Buriram United. The day before, I had queued unsuccessfully to buy a ticket and was wandering away from the stadium “ticketless” when my other half wandered off, I was guessing in search of food!!. She came back brandishing two tickets, bought off a tout, bizarrely at face value!!
So match day came. I entered the Stadium one hour before kick off expecting to stroll to my usual seat on the half way line. You could “ave knocked me dawn wiv a feather, 'arry”, it was chockablock full!!
I spent the next couple of hours, as I often did in the North Bank Molineux as a teenager being pushed and barged about, with beer and sweat flying through the air. I did not, at my age, appreciate or enjoy the experience!!!
So, in conclusion, a fine stadium, that can provide a great atmosphere. Not a football stadium it has to be said but a great venue that I enjoy attending – see you there!!!
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