Understandably, Thailand might not be too high up the list of where ground-hoppers plan to attend their next soccer game, yet I found myself attending this coastal club’s fixture versus Phrae United in the Thai second tier.
On the face of it, you might wonder why. But as I would come to discover, there is fan devotion, genuine on-field quality, and a thoroughly enjoyable matchday experience to be had in these unexplored (at least when it comes to soccer) corners of the world.
So … who on earth are Krabi FC?!
I’ll be honest; before flying out here, I didn’t know the answer to that question either.
Along the popular tourist trail in southern Thailand lies the town of Krabi, comprising around 33,000 residents. The province as a whole, including Ao Nang and Railay, hosts a buzzing nightlife and unrivaled beaches.
The Krabi Provincial Stadium is situated next to the stunning backdrop of the Tiger Cave Temple, which guards over it from atop a perilous climb. The scenery around the ground is pretty spectacular. I found some consolation before kickoff that, if the game turned out to be dross, I could at least admire the views.
The Eagles, as many of the locals were referring to them, have only existed for 14 years but have already made strides up the Thai soccer ladder, evident from their promotion from the third tier last season into Thai League 2, where they currently compete.
As a lot of newly promoted sides discover, life adjusting to a better standard is no breeze at first. Krabi came into today’s game in the relegation zone, despite a recent run of results that might suggest the tide is turning in their favor; five games unbeaten (they won three of these) is nothing to turn your nose up at.
The hosts were a side in form, but so were the visitors. Phrae United was seven games undefeated before this meeting and occupying 5th place in the table, indicating that the game I was about to witness would undoubtedly be competitive.
From the temple to the stands
Grace, who I’d met at my accommodation in Ao Nang, decided to join me on my trip to the stadium. She’d never been to a soccer game before and I found it quite amusing that this would be her first experience.
After an exhausting afternoon of sightseeing, we made our way to the stadium. You’d never know that a soccer game was taking place. The pre-game liveliness that usually goes hand-in-hand with my walks to soccer grounds just wasn’t there on this occasion. I began to fear that we might be the only people attending.
Then, slightly off a main road, you cut into the university sports campus and there’s the stadium in full view. It’s far from the smallest ground I’ve ever encountered, holding 8,000 spectators at its very maximum. A running track traps the pitch away from the small but serviceable stands.
To our delight, tickets cost 100 baht (around $2.90). Better still, a ticket vendor told us that we would be eligible for a free game ticket if we bought a replica jersey for 450 baht (roughly $12.90). As tempting as that was, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t collect sports memorabilia from places I visited before I flew out here, so I hesitantly declined.
The friendly ticket inspector at the foot of the steps smiled at us, maybe with humorous surprise non-locals were in attendance, and allowed us through. Thankfully, we weren’t the only ones there; we tried estimating how many were in attendance and concluded that there were around 700 people in total, but I’m yet to find the official figure online.
Once you get to the seats, which are steel benches reminiscent of high school bleachers, you appreciate the excitement of the locals conversing with others. Perhaps they’re regulars, catching up after a long week or two of not seeing each other since the last Krabi game.
The game begins
If you’ve only been able to watch soccer on TV for the past few months, as was the case with me, you become engrossed with the inspirational music the players walk out to, the blaring of the national anthem, and the rousing but incomprehensible speeches made in the pre-game huddles.
I was extremely excited about this one, perhaps inexplicably so to some, but it was fully justified in the action we saw in the game’s early stages.
After just 6 minutes, the home side took the lead after a rather unfortunate ricochet from the Phrae United defender found its way beyond the visiting goalkeeper. Just the start your head coach looks for when you’re trying to move out of the league’s danger zone.
The Eagles didn’t stop there; only three minutes later and the advantage was doubled. Nigerian winger Chigozie Mbah deserves all the credit for this goal for his scintillating counter-attacking play that put it on a plate for his teammate. I have to say, his performance was of high quality throughout and it’s easy to see why he has played in Europe before.
A completely dominant first-half display from the home side was capped off by a third goal, courtesy of sloppy goalkeeping from the Phrae United shot-stopper. When he couldn’t gather an effort directed straight at him, the ball looped outwards off his chest and into the path of the grateful Krabi striker who tucked it home.
3-0 at the interval and nobody could argue this was unjust. We had to double-check the division table at the break to make sure we had the teams the right way around.
In this part of the world, you come to expect certain things won’t run as we’d expect back west. For example, I went to the toilets and the lights weren’t working, so everybody had to risk going in the dark. Then, once you try to wash your hands afterward, you find that there’s no running water – this happens now and then out here. As I learned early on in my travels, always carry hand sanitizer with you!
Naturally, soccer fans are drawn to what delights they can find at the food stalls in stadia new to them. The selection I found looked nice. Chicken, pork, and tofu options, usually fried and on skewers, then covered with a local sauce. For 20 baht (less than $0.60) per large skewer, this was a bargain. Glance at the prices punters pay for refreshments in MLS, for instance, and you’ll definitely agree with me.
Back to business
Although it felt like a foregone conclusion of a result, we headed back into the stands hoping to see more goals.
Phrae United, who’d performed desperately in the first period, missed two glaring opportunities that would’ve revived the competitiveness of this fixture. You began to feel that it wasn’t their day whatsoever.
And how Krabi made them pay. As a corner was floated into the box, the visitors couldn’t deal with the threat competently and the ball eventually nestled into the net, finishing the game once and for all.
At 4-0, I assured Grace that not every soccer match is this entertaining. Maybe that’s a cynical thing for me to say to someone new to the sport, but after so many years of sitting through unwatchable 0-0 ties and negative tactics that would force you to tear your hair out, you’d forgive me for quelling their expectations going forward.
A particularly enjoyable sight in the second half was a sole Krabi fan standing up and starting chants, reveling in the glory of his beloved side putting on a show. To the beat of his anthem, dozens of others around him joined him in his jubilation. I’m not certain why, but partisan loyalty wasn’t what I was expecting to see at a club of this stature.
Phrae United knew this fixture was done and barely mustered a threat once the fourth went in until the time we left the stadium, which was around 85 minutes through the game, as taxis were scarce in this town and we wanted to make sure we secured one back to Ao Nang.
As I checked my phone on the ride home, a notification flashed up notifying me that Phrae United had actually pulled back a consolation goal to put a blemish on an otherwise perfect day for Krabi FC. I’ve tried my hardest to find this footage online but with no luck so far.
The final word on my visit to Krabi FC
If the only reason you watch soccer is to see the highest standard of the game played beautifully by the world’s most recognizable faces, you’re missing so many of the beautiful aspects that live local games can offer.
I’m not saying I don’t enjoy witnessing Kevin De Bruyne thread sumptuous passes through the eye of a needle. Elite soccer has its obvious advantages, but it comes with a price – financially and sentimentally.
Is Thai soccer ever going to compete with the European game? Of course not, nobody is naive to think it could get close. Call me a romanticist but give me the authentic, cheap, and frankly obscure version of our sport over the plastic commercialization that’s commonplace among top clubs.
It was a delight for me to be in the company of somebody’s first-ever soccer match, and to see them enjoy it so much. We watched locals embrace each other every time Krabi scored; this is exactly what the beautiful game is about.
I may have only attended this fixture because all top-flight soccer in Thailand seems to be located in the north of the country, but they’ve made a fan out of me. I’ll be keeping an eye on the fortunes of the Eagles as they look to fly to the top.