Pattaya United FC was a professional football club based in the tourist destination of Pattaya, on the Gulf of Thailand. After the 2018 season chairman Chonsawat Asavahame decided to disband the club, but keep their license and move them to the south of Bangkok as Samut Prakan City FC.
The club was originally formed as Coke-Bangpra Chonburi FC in 1989. The name came from their sponsors and the Bang Phra district in the town of Sri Racha in Chonburi province where they were located.
For several seasons ‘The Dolphins’ played their football in the third-tier Regional League, before winning promotion to Division One for the 2007 campaign. In their first season at the new level, Coke-Bangpra finished as runners-up and won promotion to the Thai Premier League.
The club moved to Pattaya in 2009 and into the Nongprue Stadium as they changed their name. Many exiled Europeans began to support the club, as attendances increased.
Grand plans were unveiled to move to a state-of-the-art 20,000-capacity stadium midway through 2010, which also included other sporting facilities. However, money ran out after construction began, so the club remained at Nongprue.
After a couple of decent seasons, United struggled in 2012 before being relegated at the end of the 2013 season, as leading scorer Rod Dyachenco could only muster seven goals. At the end of the campaign, Red Bull announced that they would be looking to buy the club and invest heavily in it after the previous owners put it up for sale.
After a couple of decent seasons, United struggled in 2012 before being relegated at the end of the 2013 season, as leading scorer Rod Dyachenco could only muster seven goals. At the end of the campaign, Red Bull announced that they would be looking to buy the club and invest heavily in it after the previous owners put it up for sale.
The 2014 season in the second tier proved to be a disappointment as United finished in fourteenth place. This led to drastic action as the club was sold to Enigma Sport Ventures (ESV), the sporting arm of the Enigma Global. The company immediately looked to improve fortunes with the appointment of Brit, Sean Luke Sainsbury as head coach.
He previously worked for Muang Thong as a Reserves and Academy Head Coach. Nong Prue was renamed Dolphin Stadium and had new seating installed behind the goals, while the club colours' changed to a darker shade of blue and white, and a new logo was introduced.
The team finished as runners-up in League One in the 2015 season and won promotion back to the Thai Premier League. The goals of Júnior Negrão took the side to twelfth place in 2016, before Miloš Stojanović top scored in 2017 under coach Surapong Kongthep as Pattaya weighed in with an eighth-place finish.
In 2018, the club's final season, United finished in eighth position with Lukian as the top scorer.
My visit
Wednesday 23rd October 2013
It was the morning after the night before as I awoke early in Pattaya. My six a side cricket team, Beer Battered Seadogs had assembled the previous evening for some team bonding.
As is usually the case when I’ve visited Pattaya, I’d drank a lot and got into an argument with one of the songtheaw drivers trying to exploit me for what should have been a 10BHT (about 25p) fare, back from Walking Street.
The rain was teeming down so they were wanting 200BHT. Eventually I got back near to the hotel drenched and angry, so rather than continuing I had called it a night.
The rain was teeming down so they were wanting 200BHT. Eventually I got back near to the hotel drenched and angry, so rather than continuing I had called it a night.
The weather the following morning was beautiful, so after a good breakfast, I decided not to waste my time in the resort, and instead head to Nongprue.
I really wasn’t sure if I’d ever visit the city again. I’d been to Pattaya numerous times and grown to dislike plenty about it, from some of the grizzled ex-pats to the mafia like transport.
I’d even gone near to Nongprue several times as I headed out to Horseshoe Point where I’d played and assisted in the running of a couple of six a side cricket tournaments. However, time was always beating me popping in and the team always seemed to be playing away when I was there.
The taxi driver optimistically asked for an unrealistic price for a return ride. I managed to barter him down to 400BHT return, which was still far too much, but I wanted to get the task out of the way. In fairness, it was a lot further than I anticipated as we travelled just as far again on reaching the main Sukhumvit Road.
The stadium wasn’t too bad, although there was no spectator accommodation behind either goal; just an area of grass behind the byline and then railed fences. One side had a Main Stand that had the wings added to the original centre section.
In common with so many stadiums in Thailand it was raised above the pitch, with tip up seats in the centre section and facilities underneath. Again, typically for the league, the side opposite had a semi permanent open seating deck built on scaffolding.
My driver was a decent chap as things worked out, and he came inside to save me a walk back to the street, before depositing me right outside my hotel in time for me to round up my troops.
I was interested to hear of the Red Bull's investment in the club on my return home and wondered whether the planned stadium would now get the go-ahead and whether I’d muster the enthusiasm to visit if it did.
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