RBAC FC was a football club which was originally based in Bangkok, Thailand before moving to Ratchaburi and finishing their days in 2016 as Ratchaburi Mitr Phol RBAC FC. Like many clubs in the country, and particularly the capital, their history was rather complicated.
The club were formed in 1998, but their origins came from Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET FC) who were founder members of the Thai Premier League in 1996. They soon hit financial hardships, despite finishing runners up in the league, and were taken over by Bangkok Metropolitan Administration FC.
At the end of the 2001-02 season, the club finished bottom of the table, so they were relegated into the newly formed Division One. They remained at that level for several seasons, until in 2010 they retained their status by the skin of their teeth. The league was to be extended and a third regional tier was added. RBAC Mittraphrap as they were called won their playoff game against Rayong FC to ensure their survival.
However, there was to be no escape in 2011 as RBAC were relegated. Premier League club BEC Tero Sasana took over RBAC to use it as a reserve side to produce future stars as the club was renamed RBAC BEC Tero Sasana FC.
The club was often referred to as R-BEC to acknowledge the fact. Several under-19 internationals were sent to the RBAC Stadium to learn their trade. Yorkshireman Andrew Ord was originally sent to coach the side, but after he got excellent results he was swapped with BEC Tero Sasana first-team coach Payong Khunnaen, who had underachieved with the senior side.
The relationship with Tero Sasana came to an end at the end of the 2013 season, with the club reverting to RBAC FC after ending the campaign in tenth place. An improvement came in 2014 with a seventh place ending.
The club was rechristened as Ratchaburi Mitr Phol RBAC FC in 2015 finishing second bottom of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region of the Regional League before withdrawing before the start of the 2016 campaign.
My visit
RBAC BEC Tero Sasana 2 Customs United 0 (Sunday 8th April 2012) Thai Regional League Bangkok Region (att: 175 official)
I had just returned from an outstanding week in Chiang Mai and was on the final day of what had been a superb holiday. I was determined not to waste it.
I was at the game in the same division between Thai Honda and Samut Sakon close to Suvarnabhumi Airport which kicked off at 4pm, and my plan was to leave that before full time to see most of the Bangkok United v Chanthaburi clash kicking off at 6pm in Ding Daeng at the Thai-Japanese Stadium.
However, this game was pretty poor to be honest. I reckoned by leaving that at half time I would be able to catch most of the second half at the RBAC Stadium and then head off missing the first few minutes of the later game. Well that was the plan in theory. Bangkok's traffic and its taxi drivers had other ideas!
I struggled like crazy to get a taxi driver to take me to Lat Phrao, where R-BEC were based. After what seemed like a lifetime I found a willing youth. I asked him to go by toll road, which quickens up journeys in the city considerably.
He said he didn't think that was possible, so he set off saying he knew where he was going. Who was I to argue? I sat back and enjoyed the start of the ride but then started getting a little concerned. While I wouldn't pass 'The Knowledge' if it was in operation in Bangkok, neither would the vast majority of cab drivers.
We went down many large roads along with packed traffic. We sat for what seemed ages trying to cross Thanon Ramkhamhaeng and when we eventually did get across we hit an even heavier volume. We eventually reached Lat Phrao Road and passed a huge shopping mall.
We then had to do a u turn to reach the right side of the carriageway for the soi (street) we needed. I tried to keep calm as we trudged along, but I had now given up on seeing any football and just hoped the gates would remain open so I could take some photos of the stadium.
After asking advice from locals, my driver took me down a quiet lane. Bangkok is remarkable in that you can be in a packed area of humans and traffic, yet with fifty metres you could be mistaken for thinking you were in a small country town.
I think that's one of the reasons I love it so much. I saw road signs for the university and out of nowhere I saw glowing floodlights. My driver dropped me off and pointed me in the right general direction.
The trouble was that there was no entrance at the end of the soi I was in. I made frantic hand signals as best as I could to the youth in charge of the small open shop. He sent me around the corner, and there was the RBAC in all its glory, or at least it was there behind a wire gate which had a few locals watching through it for free.
My appearance was met with smiles and much chatter. I don't suppose they got many unfit out-of-breath farang in a Scarborough Athletic shirt turning up at the wrong entrance near to the end of a game. I tried to ask as best as I could how I could gain entry inside the stadium. One older bloke used his hands to signify that I'd have to scale the fence to much laughter!
I didn't take his advice. Instead, I watched the last five minutes through the fence and took my photographs. The home side looked comfortable for their lead even in the few minutes of play I got to see. I later noted that the win kept them at the top of the table. Although I was later informed of the official attendance figure via Twitter, I had my suspicions which were growing by the match, that figures in Thailand could be shaved. Clubs dodging paying tax? Surely not!?
The RBAC Stadium wasn't all that brilliant for all the effort I'd put in, but it was a new ground nonetheless. There was a medium-sized raised cantilever seated stand down one side with a flat standing room in front of it. The other three sides didn't have any spectator facilities and were surrounded by large high-wire fences. The far end appeared to have the access road from the university.
I set about trying to find a taxi to take me to my next port of call. Fortunately, the first driver was more than willing to take me to Din Daeng, especially when I said 'by highway krap', meaning by toll road, please!
I was glad I made the effort and saw some play. I'm not sure it would have warranted the effort at the time to see a full game there when there were better options in the city on the day. I hoped to return one day, hopefully for a game in a higher division.