Chonburi F.C.

The Chonburi FC ( Thai: สโมสร ฟุตบอล ชลบุรี ) is a Thai football club based in Chonburi, which plays in the Thailand Premier League, the highest Thai league. The club was founded in 2002, it is one of the youngest in the Thailand Premier League. Play their home games from the club in the Chonburi Sports College Stadium.

Club history

Establishment and initial success

Officially, the club was indeed founded in 2002, but has already existed under the name Chonburi - Sannibat - Samutprakan FC after being entered into a collaboration with the Sannibat - Samutprakan FC. In 2002 it then separated from Sannibat - Samutprakan. In 2002, the club as Chonburi Code Red FC, ​​the Thailand Provincial League joined. The club was nicknamed " The Sharks " ( Thai: ฉลาม ชล; German: " The Sharks "). In the first year was runner-up Chonburi Pro League and was able to confirm with the third place the success a year later. In 2005 they won the Thailand Provincial League and climbed into the Thailand Premier League along with the runners-up FC Suphanburi on. In the first year it managed to stay in the league and finished the season 8 out of 12 teams.

2006, we obtained an invitation to the Singapore Cup and reached the final. Along the way you defeated the local teams Albirex Niigata Balestier Khalsa and Home United. In the finals, you had to, despite a 2-0 lead, beaten by the Tampines Rovers 2:3 after extra time. For 2007, we received an invitation to the Singapore Cup, but failed in the very first round of Balestier Khalsa.

Cup and Champions League

In November 2007, to celebrate the first championship in club history. With nine-point lead before the first one was FC Krung Thai Bank. The Chonburi FC became the first team in Thailand, which was master and did not come from Bangkok or a state or military institution belonged. A large portion of this success has coach Jadet Meelarp. He took over the team of Witthaya Laohakul at the beginning of the 2007 season and led the team to the championship equal. Jadet Meelarp previously worked in youth work and the scouting of the club. He discovered, among other things Nataphorn Phanrit, Nattapong Samana and Kosin Hathairattanakool and formed them into internationals.

The Cup 2007 entitled Chonburi FC to participate in the AFC Champions League 2008. It was the first participation in a continental competition for the club. It was in a group with Gamba Osaka ( Japan), the eventual winner of the Champions League, Melbourne Victory ( Australia) and the Chunnam Dragons randomly assigned from South Korea. Chonburi was considered a rank outsider in the group, but could not long keep the lead in the first game against Gamba Osaka and cashed only in injury time equalizer. The following home game against Melbourne Stadium in front of 10,000 spectators succeeded in Suphachalasai even a 3-1 win. In the first encounter with the Chunnam Dragons they lost by one goal in extra time 0-1. The second legs then ran anything but happy. Although it took a point in the return game against the Chunnam Dragons, you had to but then Gamba Osaka and Melbourne Victory defeated and was last with 5 points.

Runner-up and AFC Cup

In July 2008 Chonburi FC made ​​another important big step into the future. The previous addition sponsor, Hemaraj Land and Development PLC signed a major sponsorship deal which will come into force from 2009. The contract will run for three years and will amount to the sum of 18 million baht ( about 350,000 Euros ). This may indeed be the largest completed sponsorship of a Thai football club which was ever completed.

At the end of the 2008 season, there was only enough for runner-up. Main reason for this was certainly the lack of chances. Two games before the end of the season you still on the first place in the table, but a 0-0 draw against FC Samut Songkhram in the penultimate round went to naught the dream of the title defense. Jadet Meelarp was dismissed. His successor is officially announced in mid-December 2008. Kiatisuk Senamuang, known as Zico, was appointed coach of Chonburi.

As a runner-up in 2008 to qualify for the AFC Cup 2009 and was drawn in a group with Ha Noi ACB (Vietnam), Eastern AA (Hong Kong) and Kedah FA (Malaysia). Chonburi has to call to mind the Zeil set to be first in the group and win the AFC Cup in Thailand. The group stage was sovereign survived with only one defeat in six games. In the second round PSMS Medan Chonburi defeated from Indonesia 4-1 before retired in the quarterfinals against the Vietnamese representative Binh Duong FC 2:4. The game against Medan was also the last game of Surat Sukha, who moved to Melbourne Victory in July 2009. End of the 2009 season the club only the runner-up was again. 2008 they had at the end of 2 points behind the champion, in 2009 there were 3 points. Kiatisuk Senamuang changed at the end of the season to Hoàng Anh Gia Lai, the association in Vietnam where he was active as a player last. His successor at FC Chonburi was Jedet Meelarp, which had been released a year earlier. At his side, his former boss Witthaya Laohakul was provided as technical director of the club. In contrast to other top clubs in the league Chonburi, however, had hardly boast well-known obligations for the 2010 season. Only Therdsak Chaiman you can probably fit into this category. The 36 -year-old was last in the Thai national football team his comeback and moved from Singapore to Chonburi. Although the club was again runner-up, but this does not automatically authorized in the 2009 season to take part in the AFC Cup 2010. Instead, the Cup Winners' Cup in Thailand qualified directly for the competition. Already in the second round of the Thai FA Cup difference from Chonburi FC.

Stadium

Long time playing the club in the 5000 -seat Chonburi Municipality Stadium ( Thai: สนาม กีฬา เทศบาล เมือง ชลบุรี ) in Chonburi. Due to disagreements with the local authorities, the club wore their home games from 2008 in the Assumption School Si Racha Stadium. For the games of the AFC Champions League 2008 you had to dodge in the Suphachalasai Stadium, which was also used for matches in the AFC Cup 2009 to Bangkok. For the 2010 season, the club will return to Chonburi and will host its home games at the newly renovated Chonburi Sports College Stadium.

For the future, a new stadium is designed with modern training facilities. The new stadium will have 15,000 spectators and meet modern demands. It would then be in addition to the new buildings in Pattaya and Si Racha one of the most modern stadiums in the province of Chonburi. Emergence to the stadium with club facilities near Bang Saen on a ten -rai area. This corresponds to about 1.5 acres. The site was donated by the President of the Association Wittaya Kunpluem.

Fans

The fans of FC Chonburi are generally considered very crazy. Dressed in blue, with jersey, flags and scarves you attend the matches of your club. During matches, firecrackers, rockets and Bengal lights usually are ignited.

The club is gaining in popularity not only among the Thais themselves live in the region Chonburi and work a lot of foreigners, it is a kind of substitute club on site for you Chonburi FC. There are, for example, a four-piece German Fangruppe ( 4SUPS Chonburi ) who lives in Thailand. In the season of the profits of the Thailand Provincial League 2004 /05 drew an average of once just 250 spectators to the games. In the decisive final season game against FC Nakhon Ratchasima 15 Chonburi found the fans away in the north of Thailand. You had in the first Premier League season still a cut of 2,000 to 3,000 spectators, so now flow up to 5,000 spectators to the stadium to the home games. For away games, there are accompanying their team still mostly 200 to 300 fans. Meanwhile, straight and because of the good performances in the AFC Champions League will be added also many fans from Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. To match in the AFC Champions League 2008 against Melbourne Victory 10,000 visitors came to the stadium. Of these, 5,000 alone from the region Chonburi, which made ​​their one-hour route to Bangkok. For Thai standards for incredible numbers. The decisive game for the championship in 2007 also came 10,000 spectators to the game. In general, the attendances have increased significantly compared to previous years. For away games, there are accompanying their team still mostly 200 to 300 fans.

Honours

  • Thailand Premier League
  • Thailand Provincial League
  • Singapore Cup

Coach Chronicle

  • Thailand Witthaya Laohakul (2004 - 2006)
  • Thailand Jadet Meelarp (2007 - 2008)
  • Thailand Kiatisuk Senamuang (2009)
  • Thailand Jadet Meelarp (2010 -)

Former notable players

Other Sports Departments

In addition to the football men's team, the club also has a women's football team and a futsal team. The latter plays in the Thailand Futsal League under the name Chonburi Blue Wave and was able to win the championship title in the premier league year. In 2009, the success will be repeated.

The women's football team of the club took in 2008, which was founded in the same year Thailand Premiere League for women in part. In the end, the ladies were able to prove the third place.

Notes / References

2009 Thai Premier League Chonburi (city) Suphanburi F.C. Albirex Niigata Singapore FC Balestier Khalsa FC Home United FC Tampines Rovers FC Krung Thai Bank F.C. 2008 AFC Champions League Melbourne Victory FC Jeonnam Dragons Thai baht Samut Songkhram F.C. 2009 AFC Cup 2010 AFC Cup 2009 Thai FA Cup National Stadium (Thailand) Chonburi Province Nakhon Ratchasima F.C. Mohamed Koné Army United F.C. Bangkok Glass F.C. Bangkok United FC BEC Tero Sasana F.C. Buriram United F.C. Sisaket F.C. Muangthong United F.C. TOT S.C.
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