Why I Love Football in Sisaket, Thailand

                      

Football support often comes down to geography, family, or circumstance. Some people inherit clubs through generations, while others discover new allegiances later in life.

In my case, moving to Sisaket in rural Thailand unexpectedly gave me not one local club to follow, but two.

Attending a Sisaket FC match in 2018
I'm not sure the stadium has been cleaned since

In my case, I am a Scarborough fan, as were all the elder members of my family, with Hull City offering me the chance of some bigger games on a visit to a larger place. When I moved to London, it was Hendon that I had an affection for when I couldn’t travel north. 

My holidays to Thailand saw me get to any games I could, eager for new adventures and to find unknown pleasures. Port FC became my favourite side, as they offered me the best matchday experience in Bangkok. However, things changed halfway through 2022.

I had met and become close to a lady while I lived in Minburi, who suggested we might enjoy life together in her home province of Sisaket. I visited the city on a whistlestop Isan tour in 2018 and took in a game against Nakhon Ratchasima in the League Cup. The city seemed fine to me, and the people were warm and friendly, so why not give it a go?

The Fall of Sisaket FC

Things developed pretty quickly between the two of us, as I fell in love with the people and the country life I was being offered, with the added chance to go and watch some football. It was the season that Sisaket FC were to fold, be disbanded and thrown out of Thai League 3 after a massive wrangle and dispute with Esan United. 

They had enjoyed a good history, previously playing in the top tier of Thai football, and filled the stadium on occasions, losing 1-0 to Buriram United in the 2015 League Cup final. Fortunately, another club, Sisaket United, formed in 2012, took over sole tenancy of the dated and dirty Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium and reached the playoffs in 2022-23, my first season of watching them. 

What came as a shock when my future wife drove me around the area was that there was a second club playing in town in a huge stadium that I was previously unaware of. Rasisalai United were competing in their debut season in the Thai League 3.

The more modern SAT Stadium

This was great news, especially after moving full-time to the area in February 2023, as it meant that there were two teams to go and watch. I quickly worked out that it would be possible to get to see games at Ubon UMT Stadium and other venues in the nearby cities once dropped off in Kanthararom, twenty minutes from us.

Sisaket is mad about football, with the province being fiercely proud of its people and teams that represent it. I often tell friends about its vibe, being one of community and taking me back to being a youngster in England, before attitudes and cultures changed for the worse. I quickly discovered that quite a few people went to watch whoever was playing, whether it be Sisaket or Rasisalai.

Looking towards "our" VIP seats

The following season, Rasi, a town around 40km from Sisaket city, had a distinctly average season, in front of crowds of around 300. Because their town has no suitable venue, they continued to play at the SAT Stadium in Sisaket. 

Sisaket United had a superb season, winning promotion and finishing overall runners-up in Thai League 3. While the tactics of coach “Pat” could sometimes be dull, they were effective, with the excellent Matteus Panigazzi and Danilo leading the way.

Naturally, interest grew along with attendance in the second tier. Rasi owner, the often-excitable Nuchanart Jaruwongsatian, was not about to see her club left behind. Arnon Bandasak was installed as coach, along with the arrival of three Brazilians: Ramon Mesquita, Gilberto Macena, and Alberto Gouvea. 

My pal, John, and I had met Alberto going into a Sisaket match and asked him how he thought he would get on. He was no joker. Alberto smashed through the twenty-goal mark as Rasisalai swept teams aside on the way to becoming national Thai League 3 champions.

Derby Day, and more importantly, a quality deal at a quality bar to get into the mood.
Football will always be far more than 90 minutes to me. It's a day out.

The team did even better than Sisaket had the season before, becoming national Thai League 3 champions as crowds grew, merchandise sales rocketed, and opponents were regularly swept aside. All this while Sisaket finished outside the playoffs despite showing promise on occasions.

Derby Days in Sisaket

The local derby between the two sides early in the 2025-26 season attracted an official crowd of 4,458, to which a thousand can be added, as kids don’t pay. They played out a magnificent 3-3 draw, while “Uncle Chuay”, the new coach of Sisaket United, formerly in charge of Sisaket FC, oversaw an improvement in their fortunes.

A big crowd at the derby

With one game before the mid-season break, Rasisalai sit at the top of the table and are still unbeaten, with Sisaket in third place. Two sides are promoted automatically, with the next four entering the playoffs. We are being spoilt for entertainment and matchdays in town.

Two Clubs, Two Different Experiences

The two experiences do differ. As mentioned, Sisaket’s home is decrepit, filthy, and a health hazard. It has a track around the pitch, but importantly, the stands are in a straight line, meaning not too much distance from the pitch. 

The fans are generally older, following the province’s traditional club, and are extremely passionate and vocal, with officials and visiting players being left in no doubt that they are the enemies. It’s horrible, the toilets are shocking, and the pitch is a disgrace, with some crazy people adding to the entertainment. I love it, especially on the open side.

The SAT Stadium is a bowl with curved stands around its running track, meaning it is a far greater distance from the pitch, and lacking in intensity, despite plenty of noise being made. The fans are generally younger and more polite. 

We sit every game in the VIP area, near the partners and families of the players, basically because we did when hardly anyone attended, so we continued to do so, becoming accepted as part of the furniture.

What will happen if one or both clubs win promotion to League 1 is anyone’s guess. It will take a lot of money to improve the squads. Questions are already being asked about whether the overseas players, now advancing in years, could cope at a higher level.

The pitch at Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium
Even worse than normal

Why Football Means More Than Results

Football has always been about more than the match itself for me. The beers beforehand, the conversations, the travelling to the ground, the familiar faces — that’s the real attraction.

Football day is my day out, and I must enjoy it. Results don’t matter if I have a good day. You see, we’re all different.

Why I Love Living in Sisaket

And that I think is why I love living in Sisaket so much. We have a small golf course, so we can enjoy a round. There is great food to be had, with bars too. It’s easy to walk up to the stadium and drink outside or take a beer to our seats. There is no hassle with tickets, and we get to know regulars. It’s the ideal size for me. I do worry some of it might diminish if either side went up, along with some heavy defeats on the pitch.

Under a Blood Red Sky at Sisaket United

The good thing is, I have the fallback of knowing that teams like Kanthararom United will enter the FA Cup along with amateur sides from Ubon Ratchathani, with a semipro league entertaining me in the new year, with the chance of a few days finding new bars and restaurants, making new friends, as well as an occasional game of golf.

Best of all, I live among people who love their football in whichever way they choose to support their local teams.

Pre-Season Friendlies. What do fans learn?

 Pre-Season Friendlies: What do supporters really learn from them?

Sisaket United 2 All Star 3

Wednesday 16th July 2025

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 c100 – 🎟️ Free

Last week, around the world, the pre-season friendlies began with a smattering of grand titles given to some of them to try and add to their prestige, with teams sometimes competing in smaller tournaments with absolutely nothing riding on them. Thailand is no different.

My attention was drawn to a thread on the excellent Non League Matters Forum entitled “What are friendlies telling you about the season ahead?”, wanting feedback from those who had already attended games. The general consensus was “very little”, with managers and clubs’ socials spinning it in whichever way they think benefitted them.

A win would typically be described as an excellent morale booster, with the new signings being a stroke of genius and a pointer to things to come, while defeat was seen as being good to get some miles into the legs of players rather than just training. Much of which, of course, exists to satisfy supporters and help sell merchandise and tickets, while ensuring the optimism continues to build until reality strikes.

Anyway, with my local club Sisaket United having announced six friendlies, but only one at home, it seemed churlish not to go and meet my mate John and see what we could decipher. Here are some of the key things that I picked up.

• The match probably shouldn’t have gone ahead on a waterlogged mud bath. The pitch was heavily chewed up throughout, and while in a sensible world, at least a groundsman would use the opportunity to roll the surface and take advantage of the weather, it will be left to dry with divots going hard, ensuring the pitch will be equally hopeless when it dries.   
• It rains heavily in the wet season in Sisaket. Very heavily. So heavily that the storm five minutes before we were due to play golf abandoned our plans, rendering the course unsuitable, this two hours before the football in the stadium next door was to commence.
• Yorkshire bowled very well v Lancashire in the T20, which was rerun from Friday, we watched in Hong Kong Garden instead of the golf, immediately putting a smile on my face. 
• The two-for-one pints on the promotion of Mahou in Leo’s post-match were excellent value, as was the standard of the bangers and mash.
• My wife and I have found an excellent place for food and coffee on the main road into town, on the forecourt of a Shell gas station, no less.
• The toilets have not been cleaned in the Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium since I first went in September 2022. Goodness knows how long before that, and counting. They smell like you can imagine, being frankly a disgrace, and quite possibly a health hazard.
• Ditto the seats in the stand. Yesterday, we were given the option of sitting in puddles accrued in the bucket seats or choosing those at the back under the roof, infested with bird droppings. Another disgrace, and something so simple for the club to sort out, even as tenants, by hiring a couple of locals to clean the seats and the toilets before each game.
• The bow-legged physio is still there, quite possibly the slowest in Thai football. A pleasant old boy, calling him a physio is akin to calling me a chef for preparing a cheese sandwich with a mug of tea after my siesta. He goes on with spray and water.
• Hardly any of the Sisaket team on display will feature in the first team squad, or at least I sincerely hope not. The young goalie who was replaced, coming off smiling after shipping in three goals I’d have fancied myself to save, should be particularly concerned about his career prospects, should they include professional footballer anywhere in the description. I suspect many were trialists whom the new coach decided to take a look at. One was withdrawn not with an injury, but what I would describe as avoiding further punishment, so bad and unfit was he.

And that’s probably about it. I shouldn’t really have expected too much more either. If I did, I was being naïve and suffering from amnesia, as it’s the same every season. At least there was a bit of intrigue surrounding this fixture, which had my imagination doing overtime on the drive into town.

During my many years assisting with the running of cricket events in this part of the world, we would sometimes need an extra team to assist with the logistics, so we would put together a hybrid side and call them “All Stars”. What they were, in effect, consisted of those who couldn’t get a game with the team they’d travelled with, solo attendees, and anyone else whom we could convince to play after a couple of beers.

It wasn’t unusual for a bloke to head out innocently for the evening with a lady in tow, for him to have to explain to her that she had a free couple of days because a set of blokes he’d never previously clapped eyes upon had convinced him that cricket was a great idea.

As it transpired, this All Star team originated from Paris, an Academy, according to one of the two coaches when I delved trying to find out some info from behind the benches at the first of two breaks. The game was being played in three periods of thirty minutes. The All Star group apparently also have a network in Thailand. In football, presumably, but one never knows for certain over here. The players and coaches spoke English or French, with some a bit of both. We thought we recognised one of the coaches, maybe from being previously an assistant at Bangkok FC.

All were available for hire should any club wish to negotiate with them. There was the Yasothon FC coach in attendance, and I wouldn’t be surprised if representatives of other clubs hadn’t gone along for a decko. Some of the players weren’t bad. Some were. They were physically stronger than the Sisaket lads and went into a 3-0 lead. We headed off after an hour and missed Sisaket scoring two in the final period.

All Star guns for hire. How many will get pro contracts?

The All Star mob played in a kit without numbers; only some of the Sisaket players had them, while the pitch had not been marked, with penalty areas, halfway, and touchlines being designated by cones, some on the pitch. Not that it bothered the players, which in a way shows just how pampered some pros really are. We were ten minutes late starting, waiting for a linesman, allowing me to get my first "get on with it" of the season shout from the stand, which was pent up inside of me after watching the England v India Test match on TV.

We were soon perusing the menu in Leo’s and trying to work out what we had learned. Very little, although in a rare optimistic moment, using plenty of guesswork, I suggested to my friend that Sisaket will be more than OK this season. And that is what pre-season friendlies are to supporters. Guesswork and a way to fill the void before the season begins.

The one thing that was for certain was that entering a football ground, having a chat with others, and watching the players do their thing at whatever level while discussing it, is still as magical as ever. Bring on the fixture announcements!

 

 

My pre-season musings - 8th July 2025

 My pre-season musings - 8th July 2025

It’s that time of the year once again when football supporters all around the world have no games to attend, instead filling the void by trawling any means of information for stuff about their team that they hope will deliver them hope and make all the difference.

Thailand is no different, although sometimes the communication leaves a little to be desired, which I will touch on later. I have noticed this year that more clubs seem to be advertising their season ticket offers and unveiling their new playing kits a little earlier, or is that just me? Maybe I’m using better sources.

More and more groups on social media are posting, some for the first time, about transfer rumours and who will sign for whom, particularly in the case of foreign players. Even in my few bored moments, I find myself trying to find the name of some unknown player on one of the online sites, often misspelt when translated, to see their career stats.

The sad fact is that in many cases, that gives me as much indication of the ability of the next import who’ll often flatter to deceive, mainly in the lower divisions, as those signing them. The players in question quickly decide or realise that what the club or the agent sold them doesn’t quite match up to reality, 

Such players become part footballer, part holidaymaker with the local hotspots and those serving food that they are used to, feeling the benefits. Meanwhile, the dedicated pros still around wonder why they are bothering.

COMING SOON. The excitement builds!

It never fails to amaze me just how many clubs are duped into signing a player on the evidence of a small YouTube highlight package, inflated stats, and the thought of the said signing winning favour among local support, as the vanity of the owner is increased further. Some even go on to pay their players in full until the end of the season.

In fairness, it’s not easy owning a Thai club, especially outside the top division. It is a quick way to spend money without much return, with meagre attendance figures going nowhere near covering the outlay, with sponsorship and TV deals lessening the financial black hole a little. 

Of course, better marketing and putting a sound infrastructure in place would improve things, as well as proper recruitment, but those things seem for the birds as things stand. Asking for outside help would equate to a loss of face, which is as bad as it gets for an influential person in the Land of Smiles.

I can also see why the official pages of clubs on social media don’t make announcements about new players when sources run by fans are full of information. A lot of which is inaccurate, with clickbait being offered in return for likes. 

They are fed rumours by players, coaches, and agents. Some of which are designed to try and press the club into making a new signing or increasing the salary of a player if it appears online that others are interested in them. It makes me long for printed newspapers and respected journalists dealing in facts.

Will they or won't they?
The guessing game continues as a few more likes are accumulated.

It's the classic playbook used everywhere, as the games of cat and mouse continue, hoping to get a few more flights home out of a club, or maybe a vehicle and accommodation being paid for. Many owners, understandably lacking football expertise, take the bait, and the cycle continues.

All of which is played out while vital things that could make a massive difference, even more so as the rain falls heavily during the off-season, are ignored. Take one of my local clubs, Sisaket United. I thrash my way around the golf course next door to the Sri Nakhon Lamduan Stadium. The goals are still up from last season. The pitch resembles where my ball lands at times.

Even in provincially owned stadiums, surely a club could approach the local authority in charge and ask that, at the club owners' expense, a heavy roller be hired to flatten the pitch and carry out reseeding work. 

Then the players have a chance of playing on something fit for modern purposes and see passes roll in the direction that they are meant to, without making the receiver look like an idiot as it jumps up and hits them on the knee.

A very uneven Thai football pitch

Maybe employing qualified medical staff or building a local partnership in return for free advertising might not go amiss, instead of having their investments treated by enthusiastic amateurs.

Pre-season friendly matches are already being played as trialists are weeded out, while fans wait eagerly for announcements about fixtures for their chance to see the team in action and buy the merchandise. It won’t be long before coaches are sacked, and the fans see their hopes of success disappear for another season.

The only guarantees are that Buriram will become even more dominant, rumours will be flying around about clubs folding or foreign players not being paid, it will be lots of fun for very little cost, and the beers will be cold.