Army United

 

A History of Army United FC

Army United FC, known as Royal Thai Army FC until December 2010, is a defunct professional football club that was based in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. The club was originally formed in 1916, always maintaining a presence in Thai football.

Most of the club's players were members of the Army, playing at the impressive 20,000-capacity Thai Army Sports Stadium. The club folded at the end of the 2019 season because of changes to the constitution of such sporting entities and their funding.

Ups and Downs

When the Thai football league system was modernised, the Army were a Premier League team. They were relegated in 1999, and they remained in the second-tier until 2004-05 when they returned to the top level as champions. 

They remained at that level before a further relegation was suffered three seasons later. This time, in 2010, the team went straight back up at the first attempt, helped by the goals of Tatree Sing-Ha. A year later, the club abandoned its policy of only fielding players from the army as the game in Thailand became increasingly professional.

An Additional Team is Formed

The Army Welfare Development was formed, playing in the Khǒr Royal Cup around the same time, going on to be elected to the Regional League 2 in 2015 as Royal Thai Army FC to offer an outlet to purely army employees.

A Cup Final and British Coaches

'The Gentlemen Ranger' reached the FA Cup Final in 2012, losing to Buriram United under the stewardship of Paniphon Kerdyam. Former Scottish international defender Matt Elliott was in charge of team affairs between January and June 2014, before the ex-Tottenham Hotspur and England defender Gary Stevens took over.

Stevens lasted until May 2015 when he was replaced by Issaro Sritaro, who in turn was replaced by fellow Thai and former team boss Watcharakorn Antakhamphu. His tenure saw the team placed in the final relegation position with three rounds remaining. 

The death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej marked the end of the season, with league places at the time being counted as final. Thus, Army were relegated.

Thai League 2 Football and the End

The 2017 campaign in the newly rebranded second-tier Thai League 2 (T2) saw another poor run of results, leading to a couple of changes of head coach. Daniel Blanco took over team affairs in July 2017, remaining in charge until the end of the season before departing for Krabi. 

Blanco would return a couple of years later, after former Portugal international midfielder Nascimento and Adul Luekijna had spells in charge of the team. The side finished fifth in the table as Tanakorn Dangthong led the scoring prior to the club folding.

My visit

Royal Thai Army 1 Bangkok United 1

Saturday 24th April 2010

Thailand Premier League 

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 c1,200 🎟️ 80 THB (£1.80)

This report was written at the time for the Scarborough Athletic FC fanzine, Abandon Chip.

An Unexpected Opportunity

Owing to the erupting Icelandic volcano, I was unfortunately detained in Bangkok for a week longer than scheduled. Not wanting to cry over spilt milk and ever looking to broaden my footballing education, I decided that Saturday, 24th April 2010, should be spent watching a local game.

I had planned to go to the game in the Premier Division between BEC Tero Sasana and top of the table Chonburi at the Thephasadin Stadium. Unfortunately, this venue was next to the old National Stadium in an area of the city disrupted by violent political clashes involving the military and the red shirt protestors. This led to the game being postponed.

A Confusing Journey 

Not to be deterred, I hit on a plan B. I took off after lunch with Steve and the other intrepid stranded traveller, Neil Eggar. I found a taxi and set off. My companions gave me the wind-up before I set off. My chosen game was to be Army v Bangkok United. They laughed as they said I’d probably picked a grudge match.

The driver wasn’t sure of my destination, so I gave him a station on the underground where I thought I could walk from. After a little conversation in very broken Thai and English, he revealed he was a reserve in the Army and showed me his ID card.

He reckoned he knew where the stadium was. I also knew vaguely, as I’d passed it before on my way to Harrow International School, where I help co-ordinate a cricket tournament each November.

My man was spot on, and he pulled into a service station just short of the stadium off the expressway a full hour before kick-off. I spotted a local in a Bangkok United shirt who, luckily, spoke English a little, and he directed me to the ground.

Arriving at the Stadium

Five minutes later saw myself entering the sports campus. The guard seemed very friendly, which was encouraging. I knew the stadium had a track around the pitch and one side had a roof from research, so I wandered round to that side. All around were basic cafes that also served beer.

Outside, both clubs had souvenir stalls, but I resisted. I decided to enter the ground, and I paid 80 baht (just short of £2) for a seat in the Main Stand. I had the bottle from my water removed by courteous guards. Upon entry, I found I was in the home fans section. A VIP area separated us from the away fans further up the touchline.

A Fun Family Atmosphere

There were school children on the far open side. It had been my intention to gain entry there at some point to take photos and to get on the live TV coverage while speaking to my mates on my mobile, while they looked on from home.

The fans were very enthusiastic, making loud noises with drums, hooters, and the plastic sticks which are found at games.

Their support never abated. The crowd was mainly aged between 14 and 30, and it has to be said that it was a pleasure to be in the company of the many females. They were certainly more aesthetic than my usual mates at a game.

A leader got the “Tra Kong Chak”, as the Army is known, and fans went with a megaphone, and nearly everyone joined in. If only I knew what they were chanting so I could have!

An Entertaining Match

The game was very entertaining, assisted by a good ref who worked well with his assistants. The Army was at the bottom of the league, but they had the better of the play, eventually going ahead. I was really getting into it by now, and I was even more enthusiastic about finding beer for 30 baht (80p) at half-time.

Even better was when I could take one back upstairs for the second half. It was most welcome as it was thirsty work just watching. I noticed that the sub has to go to the fourth official and show his official TPL ID to sanction a change.

United grabbed an equaliser about ten minutes from time. The same tell-tale tale, which is found anywhere in the world, signs echoed through the stand: a second or so of silence followed by the roars of the away fans who numbered around 300. The total gate probably crept over 1,000.

I was sad for my newfound friends who had been most welcoming with their warm smiles. Full time saw something I am very much in approval of. The teams went across to their opposing supporters and bowed, known as wai-ing in Thailand.

It is a traditional greeting like shaking hands in Western culture. In return, the opposing fans applauded the players. Very civilised and far nicer than the abuse they would suffer elsewhere. It IS a game after all.

At full time, I went back to a bar that was showing the last half hour of the Man Utd v Tottenham match and got stuck in. Some locals tried to have a conversation, but expressions and body language spoke louder than words.

A Souvenir to Take Home

I went back to the club shop and purchased an excellent quality Army team shirt for 450 baht, which was less than a tenner!. I finished off my beer and went for a taxi back to Steve’s house in Minburi.

The games kick off in Thailand at a perfect time. I was home twenty minutes into the 3pm kick-offs from back home, with each game being shown live on different channels.

If ever you are in the Land of Smiles, please make an effort and go and watch a local game. You will see 100% commitment, offering excellent value for money.

You will generally get a cheap meal and beer, and you can buy a team shirt for £10, which shows just how much all clubs in the Western world were ripping off genuine fans. You will also get a warm welcome, and your support will be appreciated.

A Further Visit

To read about my confusing later visit to watch Royal Thai Army FC in 2016, click here.