Old Blood FC
is an amateur football club, based in the Sam Wa district of northeast Bangkok,
that was formed in 2020 as an academy. The club introduced an open-age side
that entered the Thonburi League in 2026, being placed in Group D.
They also
entered the Semipro League for 2026, with hopes of being promoted to the Thai
League 3, with home games being played at Ratchakram Stadium, where PTU Pathumthani plied their trade.
Despite
nursing a horrific hangover, I wasn’t going to refuse an opportunity to get out
and about when back at Hat Hai Rat. My luck was in. Just one match was being
played in the league all weekend, and it was at a ground I’d not previously
visited. Even better, it was just a ten-minute cab ride away.
I’d arrived
by taxi with soft drinks and snacks at Old Blood Stadium and academy, focused
on serving its local community in northwest Bangkok. They seemed to have got it right on this
showing, with their senior team going top of their group in the amateur
competition, playing good football against a decent away side.
The away keeper made a good stop from Old Blood’s number 20 in the opening exchanges before
Phonput put his side ahead, tricking the goalie at his near post after ten
minutes. The lead was doubled in the twenty-fifth minute when Prachya scored a
superb goal, bending his effort into the top corner from distance.
Anubis had
older players on show. Their 21 was tall, skilful and rangy. The keeper was a
bit too smart for his own good with his feet, leading to some frantic defending
on a hot afternoon, with an occasional pleasant breeze, as planes descended
into Suvarnabhumi in the distance.
After an
hour, Anubis pulled a goal back, before the hosts extended their lead again
when Jack’s saved shot was followed up by Phonput. The away side continued to
press but found themselves exposed at the back. Harry’s sublime skills set
up Peath, who was denied by some brave goalkeeping.
The
excitable Harry, who picked up a yellow card for a daft challenge, continued to
torment his opponents, while what seemed like an endless supply of volunteers
ran around carrying out tasks, at the properly organised club, which went top
of their group with the win.
It was a
wonderful experience as a visitor. Small covered seating areas to watch from, a
warm welcome, a pitch-side open-fronted restaurant and bar, a TV showing the
previous night’s FA Cup, plus it has changing rooms at a venue close to the
people it serves. I would most certainly return.
At full time,
I went for a short walk back along Thanon Thai Raman from the ground back to
Hat Hai Rat before catching a taxi back towards home. I alighted at the 7/11 at the end of our village to buy khao moo daeng for tea from an excellent outdoor stall. Unbelievably, two Old Blood players were already sitting down and getting stuck into their meal!
My brief report from the match and my reflection on the experience that fans will encounter can be heard on the episode of A Thai Football Podcast.
Bangkok AFC is an amateur league team that originated from the Bangkok Football Academy (BFA), which is currently a member of the Thonburi League. In the 2026 season, they used the MRTA Football Field on Rama IX.
The side reached the quarter finals of the Thonburi Champions League in 2024, where their hopes of honours ended against Thonburi University, before being defeated by Kratoomrai Academy in 2025 after a fine campaign in Zone C.
My visit
Bangkok AFC 3 Minburi City 1
Sunday 22nd March 2026
Thonburi League Group C
👨👨👧👧 c25 🎟️ Free
My latest delve into the Thonburi League during a visit to Bangkok saw me enjoy a very pleasant couple of hours watching an amateur game near the city centre, where Minburi City, a team I used to go and see, were in action. A good game too in the searing heat with goalmouth action and plenty of skill.
The Thonburi League is a competition, nominally at level 5 in Thailand, along with a couple of other self-run regional leagues. Some teams use the competition to prepare for the regional Semi-pro League, from which the winners are promoted into the regional Thai League 3. Thai Leagues 1 and 2 are national.
It is a well-run competition, with plenty of teams on each of its five equal sections, divided according to location. Admission is free at games, and all the venues are of reasonable quality, with every game having a full team of officials.
Rolling subs are permitted until the final ten minutes of the game, which protects against the heat and ensures everyone gets a decent game. Something for the English FA to ponder so that players don't continually move from club to club in the quest for a regular run. It certainly gave me plenty to report on for my updates to A Thai Football Podcast.
This match started with Minburi looking far better than I remembered previously, with an African coach at the helm. However, fielding three 15-year-olds from their academy owing to absence would prove to be their undoing.
The first of which, a goalie was completely out of his depth, something the BAFC players quickly sussed after what looked like a harmless shot from outside the box from the number 9 found the net.
Chaos ensued when the second goal crossed the line despite the best attempts of a defender and the woodwork to keep it out after another goalkeeping fumble. I had a good view of proceedings from one of the raised open bleachers, after being invited to sit there by Bee, the Minburi City club manager.
When the club was formed, I’d bought a team shirt. When I attended a game in the old Amateur League, the club presented me with a cap and all kinds of souvenirs. Therefore, on this occasion, it was lovely to be remembered and welcomed by Bee, who was surprised by my appearance.
He was filming the game, which featured a team predominantly made up of Africans, and asked me why I wasn’t wearing my shirt. I explained I was now living in Sisaket but was staying at our Minburi condo, when the fixture caught my attention and fitted perfectly into my plans.
Back on the pitch, the amiable, larger-than-life coach, who looked to me for support and some kind of suggestion in exasperation at his team’s failings, had replaced the goalie. The new one was more experienced, but not great. I empathised greatly with my new friend!
After the drinks break, it was 3-0 when a Bangkok player went clean through. They should have added to their tally, but too many players started showing off their range of tricks rather than getting the job done, as can often occur if a team senses they have an easy win on their hands.
After the break, a mixture of luck, desperate defending, unorthodox goalkeeping, and some clever forward play saw Minburi perform much better. They got a goal back and then saw the BAFC make a couple of good saves, while another shot thundered back off the bar.
A player arrived with fifteen minutes to go, got changed and went on. If he had been there earlier, it could have made a big difference. Overall, I really enjoyed myself in excellent company, as well as ticking off a new ground for me in the MRTA Fitness Park, which carried the fitting title of the ‘Stadium of Spirit’.
It was nicely set out with a huge lake behind one goal and the backdrop of the city at the other end. Post-match, I headed off to my second game of the day, which turned out to be an amazing occasion as Police Tero took on Sisaket United, while I was among the incredible away support.
My YouTube video captures my experience from the game
SK46 Football Field, as the name suggests, is a football venue in the Sai Mai district of North Bangkok, located at the bottom of Soi 46 off Sai Mai Road. Any club can hire the ground, as was the case when I visited for the first time. It sometimes hosts games in the Thonburi League as well as countless friendlies.
Two-storey buildings on two sides containing academy classrooms, VIP rooms, changing rooms, a fitness centre and even a cold tub, gave it an enclosed feel. It is home to the Prataungtip FC academy, in collaboration with Pratuangthip Wittaya School, as well as being the base of Chiang Rai United in the capital.
It has floodlights atop concrete telegraph poles, with high netting hanging from them all the way around the pitch. This is a common feature at Thai amateur venues, and while it can be like watching a game through a chip pan, lots of time is saved, and balls don’t go missing. There is also a 7-a-side real grass field in situ.
Other facilities include an air-conditioned clubhouse for supporters to wait, work, and eat comfortably, along with Wi-Fi and private and shared restrooms, making it one of the better grounds for teams wanting to hire somewhere.
My visit
Poma FC 1 Pathumthani FC 7
Wednesday 18th March 2026
Friendly
👨👨👧👧 c15 🎟️ Free
This game provided an unexpected opportunity to see a game at a venue in Sai Mai, not too far from our Minburi condo, which I’ve never previously visited after it appeared on the Twitter account of @FutbologyThai, who’s well worth a follow, especially if you are thinking of attending games in the Land of Smiles.
It was a good standard too, especially with no admission charge, with Poma currently leading their section in the Thonburi League, playing some good stuff, taking the lead before Pathumthani, gearing up for their Semi-Pro League campaign in the hope of joining the professional ranks, tore them apart.
The opening goal came via a fine shot from the Poma 22 from outside the box before Pathumthani levelled things up and then failed to take a backward step. They wore maroon and black without numbers on their shirts, while Poma were in a fetching orange, blue and white stripe kit.
It was a hot late afternoon, which saw a linesman facing the sun donning a baseball cap, with a cooling break being taken midway through the first half. I took advantage of sitting in the shade behind the goal with a fan blowing cool air. The splendid SK 46 Stadium ticked all the boxes for football at this level.
It was 2-1 at the break and 3-1 pretty soon after, this after a 30-yard free kick cannoned back off a post. I’ll be interested to see how Pathumthani go in their quest to play Thai League 3 football. Poma are no mugs, but they were put to the sword by a talented outfit. The third goal was a back-post volley after the skipper delivered a delicious Liam Brady-esque chip to the unmarked man.
4-1 came about after a corner was not cleared, with a low shot that was out of reach of the goalie. Multiple subs followed. Poma seemed to give everyone a run, including a pint-sized goalie, whereas the victors had a much stronger squad who made hay while the sun continued to shine in the last twenty minutes.
Shots pinged off the metal frame of the goal at regular intervals, with the replacement skipper for Pathumthani skilfully beating the defence to set up a colleague in the middle who smashed the ball home. The sixth was a shot too high for the keeper to reach, with the seventh a low shot that squirmed under him after he and the defence tried to emulate PSG, but as slowly as an HGV. They were inevitably caught out.
A grand, long day out after setting off from our overnight stop near Buriram at 6am. Some shopping for cheddar and a bottle of red will ensure that the missus can enjoy a relaxing Thursday night. Unless, of course, a match appears on Twitter.
APD United
is an amateur or non-league football club based in the eastern Bangkok suburb
of Minburi that was formed in 2016. Since then, the club has mainly competed in
local competitions and established a partnership with Triamundomsuksa
Suwinthawong School.
By the
2020-21 season, the clubs' first team was members of Division 1 of the Bangkok
Premier League, playing games at Nong Chok Stadium, which was the former home
of BEC Tero Sasana in the Thai Premier League.
Chasing a Place in Thai League 3
In 2022, APD
competed in the Thailand Amateur League, failing to progress from their initial
group. In 2023-24, the side went out at the first stage of the Thai FA Cup on
penalties after a 1-1 draw with Romklao United, with the game being played at Thupatemi
Stadium.
It was
around this time that the club moved into the former CK Stadium east of Minburi
and renamed it APD Football Arena, with its main pitch and a smaller one behind
being ideal for developing players.
They also
transferred, like many clubs, to the Thonburi League for the 2025 season, where
they were placed in Zone D.
APD United
will play in the Thonburi League Zone D in the 2026 season.
My visit
APD United 2
BSL United 2 (Sunday 26th January 2025) Thonburi League Zone D (att: c25)
Still at our
Minburi condo following an extensive tour of Thailand, I wanted some football further
down the food chain after attending Port v Ratchaburi on Friday night to start the
weekend in fine style.
If truth be known,
I had a bee in my bonnet about a video on YouTube that I’d been alerted to,
proclaiming that Thai League 3 was non-league, and had started setting about
making a video to offer a true account of the state of things.
Ideally, I
would find a non-league game and do some filming at it, covering the whole
experience. In a perfect world, at a venue I hadn’t previously visited. When
APD replied to my message and sent me a location of their ground, my mind was
set.
I was
slightly disappointed to an extent that they didn’t tell me they were still
playing at the old Nong Chok stadium with its big stand that I was still to
tick off my ground list, but naturally happy that they had a venue that would allow
them to develop as a club.
Setting off
from home, I took a songthaew to Minburi Market, bought a selfie stick to help
with my filming, found a nice location by the San Seap Canal, had a coffee and
then caught the 526 bus towards the ground for the afternoon’s entertainment.
A lady
already onboard told me I was on the right service, confused as I was when we
went into the market and out again. She spoke good English and told me all about
her job working at a hotel in the city, and how she wanted to retire.
We arrived
at the stop I required, opposite Ploychompoo Village on Thanon Rat Uthit, on
the road to Nong Chok, which required me to cross the footbridge over heavy traffic. I can only put it down to the hot sun and not being able to see my
Google Maps screen clearly, that I wandered down the wrong lane.
It would
have been around ten to fifteen minutes down the correct road, but this error could
mean that making kick-off time at 3pm would be tight. However, a local man driving
to go fishing saw my predicament, stopped and told me to get into the back of
his car.
He assumed I
was looking for the indoor Bangkok Arena at Nong Chok, so he was somewhat
surprised when I asked him to stop so I could walk back along Soi 56 to the
ground, which was visible a couple of hundred metres up.
It was
complete negligence on my part to make such an error, as I had walked down Soi
56 previously with my mate Steve in the hope of seeing a game in the Bangkok
Premier League at the then CK Stadium.
We were
within the sound of the players who were warming up and the referee's whistle,
but the road was badly flooded. My pal said under no circumstances was he taking
his shoes and socks off to wade through, in fear of snakes from the open fields
on either side. Some folks have no commitment whatsoever.
Fortunately,
that day, Vaughan was also joining us in his car and could drive us elsewhere
for our Sunday fix. Back to the present, on a scorching hot afternoon, I was
immediately taken by the APD Arena.
Sure, the
pitch seemed extremely narrow, but there was a viewing balcony behind the far
goal above the changing rooms, which would be ideal for watching the action
from. Team dugouts and a camera gantry were squeezed along the side of the
pitch by the road.
Nong Chok’s
population is 90% Moslem, so it was no surprise that while the venue had a shop
selling snacks and a small kitchen that was knocking out traditional Thai
food, it did not sell beer. It ended up being a water and bags of crisps day.
The youngsters of the club, still too young for adult
action, had turned up to cheer on ADP. The coach of the visiting side arrived
late in a fluster and told his players not to enter the pitch on time, with
there being just ten minutes before the appointed start.
He had “coach” emblazoned on his back just so everyone
knew how important he was. As it transpired, the game started just a few
minutes late. The BSL team had prepared better than their mentor and were in
the ascendancy from the start.
They went ahead after around seventeen minutes when
what seemed like a run-of-the-mill free kick was put towards the six-yard box,
where young goalie Nattawup came out, misjudged its flight and allowed it to go
over his head into an empty net.
It’s as well that the pilots up above had better flight
judgment, as a plane every minute or so began to descend above us on its way to
landing at Suvarnabhumi. APD defender Suradet dropped a massive clanger, trying
to get past visiting forward 24, who dispossessed him before advancing to score.
The young lads who had been enthusiastic and had
earlier banged their drum had the wind taken out of their sails before their
side regrouped. As the interval approached, they grabbed a goal back in what
was becoming an increasingly feisty encounter.
It seemed a bit crazy for players to warm up at the
interval in 35-degree temperatures, but that’s what some did, while a couple cooled
down by entering the lake behind the far goal to retrieve the footballs put there
with stray shots.
APD came back out with real intent, making a couple of
notable changes in the form of two African forwards. 27 was big and menacing,
suddenly causing the BSL rearguard some real issues. They were tested as much
as the referee, who I thought handled proceedings pretty well.
Small pitches and big blokes, naturally, lead to more
incidents in my experience. It was tense anyway in the heat, when Suradet and the
visiting number 9 were involved in an altercation off the ball, which I didn’t
see.
The coach was incandescent. He really was having a
grumpy day, screaming at the ref to issue a red card and not the yellow, which
he probably got right. Neither player looked for revenge, which is often the
case if an injustice is served, so it seemed about right to me.
The other APD sub, A Wisdom, was tripped in the box. I
thought it was a penalty, but the official waved away the claims, most likely
sick of some players, particularly the many non-Tais on show, trying to referee
the game themselves. A clear dive from the inappropriately named Wisdom, at
least on this showing, was also ignored.
The home side had built up a head of steam and equalised
when a free kick wide on the edge of the box was headed in by 19, despite an
attempted clearance off the line. The home fans were jubilant, swinging on netting
high above the goal.
The game could have gone either way after that, as
attempts went in on both goals. Perhaps the best chance was missed by 69 of BSL, who was played in but blazed his shot across the goal. In the end, 2-2 was about
the right result.
An ice cream man arrived with perfect timing, offering
cool refreshments to eat while walking along the lane, whose memories came
flooding back to me, though not literally on this occasion, as I headed back to
the main road.
My good lady wanted food to be bought on the way home,
so I tried without luck to order a Grab taxi. A ridiculously packed songthaew
took me to Minburi, where I jumped out on Ramkhamhaeng Road, spotting Chomran
Boat Noodles Restaurant opposite.
A cold beer was in order while I finished filming the
last bits for my video production before a Grab was finally secured, driven by
a nice young chap from Surin. He dropped me off at Five Star Chicken near home,
which was apt as he was applying for a job with the company.
A fine day indeed, including passing a snooker cue
factory in Minburi which supplies some of the world's stars, including Ronnie O’Sullivan,
a good game at a decent venue, and then top food with some EPL action on TV.
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