Thursday 14 May 2020

NEW!! Thammasat Stadium: The Home Of Bangkok United by Svein: 2020

Thammasat Stadium: The Home Of Bangkok United
by Svein


Stadium
Thammasat Stadium, or True Stadium as the club calls it. It`s located at Rangsit in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok.

Transport
From central Bangkok it`s at least 45 minutes by taxi, which is the fastest way to get there if you don`t have your own car. A return trip will cost you 900+ baht including fees on the toll roads.

If you`re a Bangkok United fan, you can get to the stadium by bus from Thai-Japanese Stadium, the club`s former home. The bus is free, but you should reserve a seat at the club`s website. The bus also take you back after the game, but it don`t leave until at least 45 minutes after the final whistle, so if you are in a rush, a taxi is better. It`s easy to get a taxi at the main road after games, but might take more time after 8PM kick-offs as the road and area are much quieter then. 

SRT Dark Red Line will go to Thammasat University when completed, but after several delays it won`t be completed until 2023 at the earliest.

Matchday Ticket
Tickets can only be bought at the stadium on matchdays. The price is 100 baht at True Stand, which is where most fans are, and behind one of the goals. Tickets at the main stand are 150 baht and 200 at the away end. Matchday programmes are available for free at the ticket counters.

Club Shop
The shop is parked at the fan zone in front of True Stand. Yes, parked, as it`s a shop on wheels. Sadly, the customer service is really poor at the shop. To buy something they write your name and item(s) on a paper. Then you follow them outside where they give the note and item(s) to staff at cash registers, and then you wait for them to call your name, they told me. I tried to buy a keychain and two coasters, but after waiting for more than 10 minutes, and not getting a response when I asked the staff, I just gave up and left.


Away End
The away fans are located far, far behind one of the goals. I have never been there, but I`m told the view is poor. And it`s wet on rainy days as there are no roof.

Food
Lots of food, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks are sold at the fan zone in front of True Stand. There is tables all around the fan zone where you can sit, eat and drink, and you can take it all inside the stadium if you want.

Beer
No alcohol is sold at the stadium, but you might find someone selling from the back of a car. No problem for me as I don`t like beer, and alcohol  has never been allowed at stadiums in Norway except in VIP-areas in recent years, so alcohol has never been a part of the football experience to me. But if my kind of drinks were sold, I would have bought a few.

Parking
Parking is easy and is located between the main road and the stadium.

Overall Experience
I hate the long travel to and from Bangkok, but enjoy myself when I`m at the stadium. I`ve had the same seat for most of my games there, at True Stand, and the atmosphere is normally great. At other parts of the stadium it probably seems dead and quiet except for the games against the big two, Buriram and Muangthong.

Some are saying fans are too far from the pitch, but I think the view is good from where I sit in the middle of the stand. It`s a bit far from the pitch, but I sit at the highest row that`s in use. The upper half of True Stand is closed off by large True banners to keep the fans at the lower half where they are visible on TV. I`ve been told you sit closer to the pitch at the main stand, but have never been there. For most games there are only a couple hundred fans there.


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