Before kick-off, an elderly man carefully sits in the stands replacing the skins to his drum. A couple of rows behind him, a seven-year-old boy in a white vest grabs his drumsticks and practises a roll on his kit. In the front row, a woman with cropped orange hair pieces a giant flag pole together, then hoists it high above us.
Welcome to the Premier League, Thai-style. Tickets to the clash between Port FC and Chonburi go for 120 baht (3GBP) or, if you want to splash out 180 baht, you get seats near the teams’ benches.
The atmosphere is carnival. Dozens of food stalls line the walk up to the PAT stadium in Bangkok, offering an array of fried food, beer and popcorn. Rival fans mingle with the home ones and some share a drink. I’m not used to this.
Having been to dozens of English Premier League games, there are certain rules that have to be obeyed. It’s de rigueur to have at least three pints beforehand and join in with the ritualistic diss-ing of the other team. During the match, one is expected to lob obscenities at the strangers wearing different colours a few yards away. You may even question their parenthood.
Here at Port FC, though, there’s passion and intensity but none of the hate. They want Port FC to win far more than they want to see Chonburi thrashed.
Having bought our tickets, we’re free to sit anywhere we like in the stand. We head for the drums’ section. Before long, one chap grabs a megaphone and, come kick off, begins screaming out songs and chants to the beat of the frenzied drums behind him.
Before long, Port FC are 3-0 up and clearly taking home the three points. The drums don’t let up though and the chants continue in earnest until the final whistle. Being a small stadium by most Premier League standards – its capacity is 6,250 – means that fans get much closer to the action. In England, that would mean you could hear every form of abuse when opposing players dare get too close. Here, when the Chonburi striker misses a cross, he turns and shares a joke with the home fans.
It’s genuinely refreshing and simply fun. Once the game’s over, Port players come over to take a bow and the lady with the orange hair packs away her flag, until next week.
Where: PAT Stadium in Bangkok
How much?: Tickets are 120B (180B for the fancy seats near the team benches) Children under 12 get in for free.
When: Matches are usually on Wednesdays and Sundays, with kick off at 7pm.
