A Brief History of Nong Khai FC
Nong Khai FT is a former professional football club from the Thai city of the same name, located on the Mekong River close to the border crossing with Laos. The club was formed in 2010 and ceased playing after the completion of the 2016 season.
Expansion of the third-tier Regional League Division 2 North Eastern Region gave the Nagas their opportunity in the national league system, playing their home games at Nong Khai Province Stadium and finishing in twelfth position.
Treading Water in the League
A fifth place twelve months later was backed up by one place lower at the end of the 2012 campaign. 2013 saw Nong Khai finish in fourth spot as well as reach the second round of the League Cup, which ended in a home defeat to Police United.
A fifth-place finish was followed by a steady run of mid-table seasons, before a sharp decline in 2015. Then came a huge improvement in 2016 as the Nagas ended ninth, which also attracted a huge crowd in the second round of the League Cup.
A Rude Awakening
Buriram United arrived and ran out 7–0 winners in front of fans who sat in temporary stands to deal with the demand. At the end of the season, Nong Khai FT announced that they were taking a one-year sabbatical from competition. They never returned.
Wednesday 25th December 2024
The first leg of our tour of Laos and Thailand had been completed with my wife and her cousin and family from the south of the country. The floodlights of Nong Khai Province Stadium were visible from our hotel as we checked in the previous evening, prompting an early Christmas Day wander.
Early Morning Exercise
It was before 7am as I headed out on a coolish but dry morning, walking along Khon Song past the Provincial Court and Nongkhai Immigration Detention Centre, a stark reminder not to transgress with my visa, before finding the road that led to the stadium on the edge of town.
Already, there were people out using the track to get their exercise while the weather was not too hot in an arena that resembled so many others to stage the lower reaches of Thai football over the years.
A Typical Authority-Owned Stadium
A raised main stand faced an open opposite side, set back from the running track. A scoreboard was behind the far goal, with posts and nets in place, suggesting football was still played there occasionally.
I took a wander around to the big stand and found some identity relating to the former tenants, although no signage or anything of the present era. The Nong Khai Sports School, located behind the scoreboard the probable user of the pitch.
A Christmas Day Mishap
Before returning to the hotel, I decided to withdraw some cash at an ATM, where a fellow farang wished me Merry Christmas. He was returning to collect his car after leaving it the previous evening, following plentiful drinks.
It turned out he was an Aston Villa fan who had lived in Nong Khai for eighteen years. I mentioned it was a shame there was no football club in what seemed a very pleasant small city when he told me all about the Buriram League Cup game.
Fascinating though it was, I’m not sure my good lady was as interested. I later discovered I’d left my debit card in the ATM and it had been swallowed. A Christmas Day I wouldn’t forget in a hurry.
