The 2011 Thai Premier League (TPL) season kicks off on Feb 12, at a time when the domestic teams have never been so popular. Following the re-launch in 2009, big-name sponsors, businessmen and politicians all jumped aboard the soccer bandwagon, bringing huge amounts of money with them. But how is this newfound wealth and popularity affecting the game? We investigate the pros and cons of this Brave New Football World.

Good: More Fans

The revamped TPL is attracting fans like never before. Before 2009, only Chonburi and PEA Ayutthaya could attract attendances of over a thousand; before 2007 no one could. Now, attendances in the thousands are the norm. Muang Thong typically attracts 10,000 and double that for big games. Bangkok Glass, Thai Port and Chonburi are all in the 5,000-10,000 range, and over in Buriram, Newin Chidchob’s PEA usually fill their 20,000 capacity i-Mobile Stadium. As fans fill stadiums, media and sponsors show more interest in the game and offer more coverage. More coverage and a higher profile means more fans come to matches. It’s an upward spiral which currently shows little sign of slowing.

Bad: Fan Behavior

A positive can also be a negative. Fans packing stadiums every week are to be welcomed but it has also heralded the arrival of hooliganism in Thailand. Thai Port F.C fans are often held up as the main offenders, but trouble (albeit relatively minor) has also flared up at Chonburi, Navy Rayong, Pattaya, Muang Thong, Buriram and PEA games. While punishments for most incidents have been pretty feeble, the Thai FA did at least act swiftly and very firmly for the most serious incident, which occurred at Nakhon Pathom of Division 1 in late December. At the end of this crucial relegation/promotion play-off against Sisaket, fans of the home side attacked Sisaket fans on the pitch while members of the coaching staff went after the referee. One of the aggressors even produced a gun. Nakhon Pathom have now been banned from the league for two years.

Good: Better Stadiums

The arenas where we go to watch the matches have been, and are being, greatly improved. Chonburi, PEA, and Sriracha all play in new arenas, while those used by Muang Thong, Thai Port, Bangkok Glass and TTM Phichit have been redeveloped beyond recognition. Sisaket’s ground has also been expanded, and Chiang Rai are beginning the redevelopment of their Mae Fah Luang home. It all makes for a much more pleasurable viewing experience.

Bad: Quality of Referees

Unfortunately, the most important person on a football pitch has not been part of the rapid professionalism caused by the TPL cash bonanza. The referee who was threatened with a gun in the aforementioned Nakhon Pathom game received B1,500 for his efforts—enough to buy a couple of replica shirts. Such pathetic remuneration of referees clearly opens the door for corruption. Dr Vichit Yamboonreung, the TPL president, has stated that referees will receive B5,000 per game baht in 2011. It’s a start, but we still think it’s nowhere near enough, considering the amount of money riding on games these days.

Good: Cheap Ticket Prices

When the TPL really took off there were fears that ticket prices would also sky rocket. By and large, it hasn’t happened. Five years ago ticket prices ranged from B20 to B50. In 2010 ticket prices were still as low as B50 at many grounds, and the top clubs only charged a little more. The cheapest ticket at champions Muang Thong was B60. Bangkok Glass also started at B60; Chonburi’s and Thai Port’s cheapest were B80 while tickets for the prestigious FA Cup final were just B100. Compare that to other leagues where you’ll be lucky if you pay less than a few thousand baht.

Good: Growing Media Coverage

This season live matches will be shown on Saturdays and Sundays on TrueVisions, NBT 11 and T-Sport. The sports newspapers, meanwhile, devote more column inches than ever before to the game. Siam Sport (Siam Keela) is particularly supportive and offers TPL pull-outs in its weekend editions. Every club in the TPL has an official website and most have several unofficial ones, too. There are even an increasing number of independent English-language sites feeding footballer fans’ frenzy for facts.

Good: Better Scheduling

While there are still problems, for the most part in 2011, nearly all the fixtures will be played on Saturday and Sunday evenings. “Nothing surprising there,” you may say, but it wasn’t always like this. Even last season saw games at Thai Port and Bangkok United kick off midweek at the early hours of 4:30pm and 5pm leading to empty stadiums until half time.

Bad: Sponsor Power

Of course, the influx of media attention and sponsor money cuts both ways. Some would indeed argue that the FAT have let themselves get carried away by the success of the relaunched top flight and are now behaving with all the restraint of a child in a candy shop. Halfway through the 2010 season, without warning, they announced that there would be a brand new league cup competition, sponsored by major motor company Toyota. This new tournament had to be squeezed in alongside the TPL fixtures and the FA Cup, causing fixture congestion chaos leading to the TPL finishing a month later than originally scheduled, and the FA Cup final being played nearly two months late. The FAT weren’t finished there. Just a few days before the end of the season they announced that they were going to change the rules. The bottom three teams, including Bangkok United, who happened to be sponsored by True, weren’t to be automatically relegated, as had been assumed all season. Instead they got a second chance by entering a play-off against the fourth, fifth and sixth placed teams from Division 1. Two of these six teams would then get to stay in the 2011 TPL, along with the top three from Division 1. For the record, Bangkok United were still relegated.

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