Buriram United Football Club สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด
Nickname(s)
Thunder Castle (ปราสาทสายฟ้า)
Short name
BRUTD
Founded
1970; 54 years ago (1970), as Provincial Electricity Authority Football Club 2010; 14 years ago (2010), as Buriram PEA Football Club 2012; 12 years ago (2012), as Buriram United Football Club
Buriram United Football Club (Thai: สโมสรฟุตบอลบุรีรัมย์ ยูไนเต็ด) is a Thai professional football club based in Buriram. The club has played at the top level of Thai football for the majority of their existence and competes in the Thai League 1. The club was founded in 1970 as PEA Football Club (Provincial Electricity Authority Football Club) before being reformed as Buriram PEA and Buriram United in 2010 and 2012 respectively. Their home stadium is Chang Arena, which has a capacity of 32,600.[1]
Buriram United won their first Thai League 1 title in 2008 and the Kor Royal Cup in 1998, as PEA FC. The club was previously based in Ayutthaya before moving east to Buriram for the 2010 season. In the 2011 season, Buriram became the first team in Thailand football history to win all the domestic trophies, as the treble champions (2011 Thai Premier League, 2011 Thai FA Cup, and 2011 Thai League Cup). Buriram then went on to win five domestic treble in the 2011, 2013, 2015, 2021–22 and 2022–23 season where the club went undefeated in the league during the 2013 and 2015 season.
Buriram United is by far the most popular Thai football club, with fans from across the country. Polling shows that it is also the third most popular football club in terms of supporters in Thailand overall behind Premier League clubs Liverpool and Manchester United.[2]
The club was founded in 1970, but their first big success came in 1998 by winning the third division of the Kor Royal Cup. The club was then promoted to the Thai Division 1 League. In 2002–03 the club finished third in the second division. They then competed the Thai League 1 Relegation play-off, but lost the final match 0–1 to Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. A year later, they succeeded at the end of season 2003–04 with promotion to the Thai Premier League. PEA surprised everyone by becoming the league runner-up at the end of their first Premier League season. Being the runner-up entitled the club to participate in the AFC Champions League. It was the first participation in an international competition for the club. However, the club was excluded from the competition.[3] In the following two seasons, 2006 and 2007, the PEA finished 10th and 8th.
In 2009, PEA was eliminated from the 2009 AFC Champions League after losing 1–4 to Singapore Armed Forces in extra-time at Rajamangala Stadium. PEA began their title defence campaign of the Thai Premier League with some poor performances. Prapon Pongpanich was sacked in the middle of the season and replaced by former Thailand national team head coach Thongsuk Sampahungsith. The club finished in ninth place out of sixteen in the final standings.
Breath of Buriram
Newin Chidchob is the first chairman of the club from 2009 to the present
In December 2009, it was announced that a politician based in Buriram, Newin Chidchob was to take over the club. He had already tried unsuccessfully to take over TOT SC and Royal Thai Army FC[4] Newin relocated the club to Buriram in Isan and rebranded it to Buriram PEA Football Club. Buriram PEA inherited most of the players from the former PEA club including the stars like Rangsan Viwatchaichok, Apichet Puttan and Theerathon Bunmathan. Pongphan Wongsuwan who was a long-time head coach of TOT S.C. was instated as a coach. Thailand national team member Suchao Nuchnum of TOT S.C. also followed his coach to the new team.
In 2011, Buriram PEA under the coaching of Attaphol Buspakom, completed their 2011 season with the domestic treble by winning all three Thai major trophies. Buriram won 2011 Thai Premier League with 85 points, the highest record in the league history. They beat the arch-rival Muangthong United in the 2011 Thai FA Cup final and clinched their first Thai FA Cup title. Following the success in two other competitions, Buriram avenged their previous year League Cup final defeat against the same opponent, Thai Port, and won the 2010 Thai League Cup. Buriram PEA became the first Thai club to win the treble in a season.
Buriram's stadium "The Thunder Castle", was built in 2011 – when it became the first Thailand football stadium without a running track on the side of the field and it was also recorded in the Guinness World Records as the FIFA standard football field with the shortest construction time of 256 days.[5]
At the start of the 2012 season, the club was renamed Buriram United Football Club. In the first match of the group stages of the 2012 AFC Champions League, Buriram beat the 2011 J-League champion, Kashiwa Reysol, 3–2 and became "the first Thai and South East Asian club" to earn a victory against a J-League club in ACL since starting the Champions League system in 2003.[6] In the second match, Buriram was the visiting team against the 2011 CSL Champion, Guangzhou Evergrande. Buriram also became "the first Thai and South East Asian club" to earn a victory against a Chinese club "in China" after beating Guangzhou Evergrande 1–2 in Tianhe Stadium from Suchao Nuchnum and Frank Acheampong's goals.[7] That match was the end of a two-year unbeaten home record for Guangzhou.[8]
The ancient stone castle from Phanom Rung Historical Park serves as a symbol for the team. The club logo incorporates elements from the historical ancient stone castle, Phanom Rung[9]
The usual starting line-up of the 2021–22 season[10]
In August 2016, Newin Chidchob admitted he was disappointed that his team's bid to defend their Thailand League title that season was over.[11] Buriram United appointed Ranko Popović as the club manager to fill the vacant role after the dismissal of Afshin Ghotbi[12] and former coach Bozidar Bandovic returned as the technical director of the club.
In June 2017, Ranko Popovic has resigned as coach after receiving a three-month ban by the Thai FA for slapping the face of Bangkok United physio Andy Schillinger following a heated argument after Buriram beat the capital side 2–1.[13] Buriram United announced that they promoted Bozidar Bandovic to head coach from his position as technical director of football.[14]
In the same year, the club won the 2017 Thai League 1 and created history by claiming 86 points - the club's highest points in a single season.[15]
In the same year, Buriram comfortably retained the 2018 Thai League 1 title with a record 87 points.[17] Bozidar Bandovic received Thai League 1 Coach of the Year Award at the end of the season.
In preparation for the new season where Buriram United will also compete in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite and the recently revived 2024–25 ASEAN Club Championship region tournament, the club signed Philippines goalkeeper Neil Etheridge who has played his trade in the English Premier League with Cardiff City. Buriram United also signed a few notable key players like former Australian national Curtis Good. Buriram United were then drawn in a group alongside Vietnamese club Công An Hà Nội, Singaporean club Lion City Sailors, Malaysian club Kuala Lumpur City, Philippines club Kaya—Iloilo and Indonesian club Borneo Samarinda. On 17 September 2024, Buriram United manage to hold off Japanese club Vissel Kobe to a goalless draw at home with both team earning a point in the AFC Champions League Elite. Buriram United the registered the highest ever victory in the ASEAN Club Championship history beating Philippines Kaya—Iloilo 7–0 with Lucas Crispim scoring a hat-trick in the match on 26 September. Buriram United then travelled to Australia to face Central Coast Mariners on 1 October in the AFC Champions League Elite fixture where Buriram United came out victorious in a 2–1 win.
Buriram United's main rival is Muangthong United. The two clubs are the powerhouses of Thai League 1 (T1). The rivalry between two clubs became highly competitive, since they are the only two clubs that have won the Thai League 1 championship since the 2009 season.
Buriram United and Muangthong United also represent widely different groups of supporters. Buriram represents the mostly rural people of the Thai countryside, while Muangthong United symbolizes the urban people in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region. Their rivalry also reflects political differences in Football Association of Thailand (FAT) since Muangthong United has the close relationship with FAT under the management of Worawi Makudi, while former politician Newin Chidchob became the polar opposite and frequently questions the transparency of FAT.
The games between the two teams are regarded as an important match-up in Thai football. Buriram has dominated the rivalry head-to-head and maintained an unbeaten record against Muangthong for a long time after the club relocated to Buriram. The phrase "Rather lose to anyone but Muangthong." (Thai lit. แพ้ใครก็ได้ แต่ไม่แพ้เมืองทอง) became a famous quote for fans. Their unbeaten record against Muangthong was broken in 2016 Thai League when they lost 0–3 to their rival at home.
Affiliated clubs
Dortmund is one of the teams we have always admired. We like their style of play and also the way the team is organized so professionally. We believe that there is much we can learn from each other throughout this partnership.
Buriram United signed a collaboration agreement with Borussia Dortmund of the Bundesliga in October 2018. There is the deal to work together at youth level. Starting from U9 and going up to U19 the clubs discuss ways to develop youth players and give them the opportunity to press for places in the senior teams. Both teams have a similar philosophy in development as far as the use of technology, sports science and management in their youth programs.[28]
Buriram United signed a collaboration agreement with Leicester City of the Premier League in September 2020. The announcement event was graced by the manager of King Power Group Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha together with Buriram United chairman, Newin Chidchob. The collaboration of both clubs is part of a project known as "Thailand Smiles With You". The key goal of this partnership for both clubs is to send young Thai players to Europe to develop in a league which is a higher quality to those in Thailand. As part of this partnership Buriram club will send key players of the team namely Supachok Sarachat, Suphanat Mueanta, Supachai Jaided for professional football training at the facilities of Leicester City.[30]
Academy & Youth program
Buriram United opened its first youth academies in 2011. The club is particularly famous for its renowned youth programme that has produced many Thai talents over the years[31] – Suphanat Mueanta, Supachok Sarachat, Ratthanakorn Maikami, and Anon Amornlerdsak have come through the ranks and are just some of the talents who've played for Buriram United. Buriram United also regularly supplies the Thai national youth teams with local talent. Buriram youth academies play in Thailand Youth League.
The International Youth Football Contest "CP-Meiji Cup U-14 International Championship" is a famous youth program that is held at Chang Arena Stadium and Training Ground Elephant Ground, between October–November every year,[32][33] with six youth teams from Thailand's leading academies and 6 youth teams from Asia (Aspire Academy,[34]Jubilo Iwata, Mokhtar Dahari Academy)
Chang Arena is a 32,600 seater footballstadium in Buriram, Buriram Province, Thailand.[37] The Chang Arena is the second-largest football stadium in Thailand. Its nickname is "Thunder Castle". Buriram United has led the 16 team Thai League (TL) in attendance since the move to the new stadium.
The Chang Arena is in the Mueang Buriram District, located about 3 kilometres southwest of central Buriram along highway 2445. The 150-acre site has a capacity of 32,600 people with parking for 800 cars and buses, plus 3,000 motorcycles. The pitch is floodlit, allowing for night matches. The stadium houses locker rooms for home and visiting teams provides modern medical facilities and live television and radio broadcasting infrastructure.[38]
^King, Ian; Schöggl, Hans & Stokkermans, Karel (20 March 2014). "Thailand– List of Champions". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 16 July 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014. Select link to season required from chronological list.
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