The Fighting Beetles - Chiang Rai's Beloved Soccer Team

Ever since we moved to Chiang Rai 11 months ago, we've been following the local soccer team here. We've always loved the sport and it's been a big part of our lives, so naturally we were intrigued when we found out that Chiang Rai had it's very own club. The Chiang Rai United Fighting Beetles play in the top league in Thailand & we have been so lucky to be able to experience the craze. We've been to top-level soccer games all over the world - Italy, England, Spain & Chile to name a few and now we can add another to the list - Thailand.

We were surprised to learn that the team is very new. The club was founded in 2009, so they've only been in existence for 4 years. That said, passion for the team is infectious. Orange billboards line the streets of the city with upcoming game info, jerseys are worn by men, women & children all over town not to mention the fact that it seems like every car has a fighting beetle bumper sticker. There's such excitement in this city over the team and it's addicting.

The United Stadium (about 20 minutes north of town by the airport) is undergoing an upgrade at the moment to increase capacity from 12,000 to 15,000. I guess there is too much demand! Despite the construction, the atmosphere is still incredible & the structure is impressive. The building has VIP lounges, big screen TV's & even state of the art fitness centers! Of course, the opposing fans have their own section of the stands (standard for soccer stadiums). We've sat in the VIP section smack dab in the middle of the field. Included in the price with these impressive seats (200 baht - $6.28) is a snack box complete with juice & pastries. We feel like royalty sitting right on the half line a stones throw away from the coaches & players.

The Crew

The Thai Premier League works like most European soccer leagues in that it's a promotion/relegation system. The worst 3 teams at the end of the year in the premier league get relegated to the 2nd division the following year. Similarly, the top 3 teams in the 2nd league get promoted and so on. So, teams constantly enter & exit the best league in the country which makes for competitive & varied games yearly. We've been to 3 games now and unfortunately have yet to witness a CR United victory. In fact, the beetles are really struggling this year and as I write this are in the relegation zone (bottom 3).

The Pride of CR

They played Muangthong United (Bangkok) a few weeks ago who are the equivalent of Manchester United in England. They're one of the richest clubs in the league & have won it 3 of the past 4 years. Needless to say, the atmosphere for that game was intense! The sideline ref made a bad call during the game and cups of beer rained down upon him! The game was stopped temporarily for a few minutes so the police could come out  & restore restore order. So crazy! During these games, fans of all ages yell like the referee's can hear them - which I find amusing. I remember there were 2 elderly ladies with little noisemakers that were just relentless all game long. The stadium was packed & we put up a good fight but ended up losing 2-1. I could tell some Muangthong players had reached celebrity status by the way the fans talked about some of them. Lots of their players also play on the Thailand National Team it turns out, so they really are national icons.

Muangthong United game (Check out their crazy British Coach)

I should speak to the quality of soccer that I've seen thus far although I'm definitely not the best judge of talent. I'd say that the Thai Premier League is somewhere in between the Collegiate & professional MLS level in America. Not quite up to America's best players, but not bad at all. The level of talent is actually higher than I was expecting to be honest. Still, I'd like to think that in my heyday (sans 3 knee surgeries) I could jump out on that field and hold my own, but we'll never know for sure :(

Nice Tats!

The last game we went to was against Osotspa FC (Saraburi Province) and it was memorable! We decided to get general admission tickets this time for a whopping 80 baht ($2.50) & sat behind the goal with all the locals. We met some Thai guys that were sitting in the crazy loud section and they invited us to watch the end of the game with them. We proceeded to yell, cheer & drink along with the rest of the die-hard fans. We took pride that fact & that we somewhat blended in with the gang despite being one of the few "foreigners" in attendance. Most of the chants aren't in Thai so we could follow along easy. They're usually something like "OLE OLE....OLE OLE..Chiang Rai United!" to the bang-bang of drums. One of the chants was a take on Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance'....hilarious!!! Although communication was difficult, we shared a love of the game & Nu and Nui (as we later learned) were very proud to show us their culture - represented through sport.

Showing Support

Scarves Up!!!

You Win Some You Lose Some!!!

The Beetles are having a rough year this year but that doesn't phase the fans one bit! The final whistle blew and although the result was disappointing (0-3) I could have sworn that the team had just won! "Scarves Up!" as we say in Seattle. Brilliant red flares burst into flames all around us filling the air with smoke & the cheering turned up a notch. Both teams came over to our section after the match to pay their respects & salute and we did the same for them. We even had cheers specifically for the other team after the game! Such sportsmanship is unheard of in America! When we exited the stadium, we were confronted with a bunch of opposing fans hanging out in the parking lot. I was wary at first because you always hear about the violence & danger that results from soccer games in 3rd world countries. Not here! We proceeded to greet, bow & shake hands with the opposing fans. Nu even exchanged his jersey with an Osotspa fan. Such a great experience. It's really the way all sporting events should be. I realize that sometimes we take sports a bit too seriously & so it was refreshing for fans to treat each other & even the other team with such great respect. I can't help but relate it to certain sporting events back in the states where stupid fights break out every game & people end up getting hurt & even killed because of nothing essentially. There's a bigger picture here and the Thai people grasp it firmly.

My New Friends

These Chiang Rai United soccer games are experiences that we'll never forget. I love the passion & respect the Thai people show towards their team & the sport. Hopefully, the team can make a comeback this year and stay in the Premier League. Win or lose though, we're Beetle fans for life!

So Much Fun!