Chainat Hornbill

 

Chainat Hornbill FC

Ground: Khao Plong Stadium
Capacity: 9,000
Club Founded: 2009
League: Thai League 2 (current level)
 
Chainat Hornbill FC is an excellent example of a Thai club from a small provincial town punching above its weight, playing for several seasons in the top tier, and building an ideal stadium as they enjoyed their success.

 
Background of the Hornbills
 
Early Life
 
Former Thai politician Anucha Nakasai founded the club in 2009. The Hornbills were placed in the third-tier Division 2 North, where they performed creditably in their first three seasons. In 2010, they were promoted through the playoffs.
 
The following year, Chainat won a second successive promotion, when Phuwadol Suwannachart led the scoring charts under head coach Issara Sritaro. Surachai Jaturapattarapong replaced him, coaching the team that played in the Thai Premier League.

 
Joint FA Cup Winners
 
The Hornbills remained at the elite level and reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 2015, where Buriram United defeated them. Brazilian forward Alex was the top scorer before Florent Pongolle took over the mantle after the top tier was renamed Thai League 1.
 
This was while Dr. med. Björn Kliem coached the team. Chainat were declared FA Cup joint winners in 2016, following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which saw the competition abandoned before the semi-finals. The team was relegated at the end of the season.

 
The Dennis Amato Era
 
German Dennis Amato replaced his fellow countryman and led the Hornbills to the Thai League 2 title a season later. Drago Mamić had a brief spell in charge before Amato returned. Bernard Doumbia and Ricardo Santos scored the goals before the team was relegated in 2019.
 
The Thai League reverted to following the European football calendar in 2020-21. Several head coaches led the team in the following seasons. Sumeth Yooto had three spells at the helm.

 
Recent Seasons
 
Nakhon Pathom United ended Hornbills’ promotion dreams in the playoffs in the first season under the new scheduling. Lampang proved too strong at the same stage in the following season. Thanayut Jittabud led the scoring for two seasons as the side dropped down the table.
 
Pattani overcame Chainat in the 2025-26 playoff semi-finals.

My visit

Chainat Hornbill 0 Pattaya United 0

Thai League 2

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 1,211 🎟️ 100 THB 

The start of a 6-day, 2,200 km trip by public transport plus 56 km on foot. My journey began on the 6.08 am train from Kanthararom, my local station. As the tour was on a budget, I unwisely booked a third-class seat for the 7-hour journey to Ayutthaya. 

My legroom was worse than any stadium grandstand I’ve sat in. The fare was 231 THB. It was certainly interesting, with vendors getting on and off, and a dramatic ride through the mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima. 

That said, I was delighted to alight, book a Grab and board the small bus with legroom for the 2-hour journey to Chainat, for 210 THB. This was after I found the right stop and before a local told me when my bus had stopped. Its signage was in Thai, which I cannot read. The total trip took 11 hours from home.

I decided to briefly check out the small town. A tuk-tuk took me to the banks of the Chao Phraya River past the night market. I booked a hotel for 550 THB, a 10-minute walk from Khao Plong Stadium, which is located well out of town. A Bolt taxi took me to my accommodation.

After checking in at the basic resort, I set off to the game starting at 6 pm. A young lady saw me walking and offered me a ride on the back of her motorbike. Tempted though I was, I declined, not wanting to look petrified on the back. Chainat seemed to be a town of friendly people.

This impression was reinforced by the young lady at the ticket office who spoke impeccable English. presumed I was an away fan and initially tried to charge me more. Probably because Pattaya have a large portion of expat fans, and I was wearing my Italia 90 England sky-blue top, the visitors' colours.

The small fans zone had a limited selection of snacks available. The small sausage balls I chose tasted unusual, while the breadcrumbed chicken on a stick was a tad overdone. A shame, as that's one of my favourite football snacks. That said, the prices were very fair, so kids could afford snacks.

I bought a bottle of beer that was poured into a small plastic bag, then put into a brown paper bag, and it cost 70 THB. I have no idea why. I was impressed by the stadium and how they converted an arena that previously had a running track into what they had now.

I think the crowd figure included season ticket holders and giveaways. I also think that it's madness that the league should arrange a 6 pm midweek kick-off. The crowd included a large party of schoolchildren, maybe 30 away fans, some of whom sounded European, and a couple of gaggles of home ultras trying to raise the atmosphere.

It was a poor game, with the hosts coming closest to breaking the deadlock on a couple of occasions. Both sides took too long passing and lost possession around the box. Varuth Wongsomsak in the Pattaya goal made a great save in stoppage time. Then Ousmane Badji missed a sitter with the goal gaping.

Chainat's sub, Elijah Douglas, looked as uninterested in the warm-ups as when he came on. Slow and unfit was my verdict. I also noted that the playing surface was immaculate, possibly helped by the drainage ditches outside the stadium.

After the match, I returned home to enjoy pre-packed cheese and crackers and my hip flask while I watched Yorkshire v Somerset on YouTube. What an amazing world we live in! I needed to be up at 5.30 am to catch my next bus.

Getting into town was always going to be a challenge. My Bolt driver from the previous evening wasn’t interested, and nobody was available on Grab. I set off walking, and miraculously a tuk-tuk stopped along the main road. It was the same bloke who took me to the riverside the night before when I arrived, and he was taking his grandson to high school. 

He dropped me there, giving me the chance to explore further. The bus station was further away than I imagined. A lone lady, a Pattaya fan whose husband lives in Chainat, was also waiting for the small bus to Bangkok. She bemoaned how bad her team was, but proved pleasant company.

Chainat Bus Company phoned to confirm my location. They soon arrived and took me to the Minibus Station at Mo Chit, with time to buy some snacks before I caught my next bus to Chanthaburi. 

You can listen to an account of my 2,200km tour on an episode of A Thai Football Podcast.