Bangkok Glass (Thailand)

Bangkok Glass are a professional football club formed in 2006, who are based in Pathum Thani to the north of the Thai capital. For its first three seasons of existence the club plied its trade in the fourth tier of Thai football, before a dramatic move propelled them into the higher echelons of the game.

In 2009 an affiliate of the Bangkok Glass group of companies; BG FC Sport Co.Ltd bought the franchise of Krung Thai Bank FC, who were members of the Thai Premier League. They played their games close to the city centre at Chulalongkorn University, but the new owners moved the club north and began to renovate Leo Stadium.

The German, Hans Emser took the side to third place in their first TPL season, before being replaced by former Thai international player Surachai Jaturapattarapong. He departed after less than a year to be replaced by Carlos Roberto de Carvalho, who would go on to manage his native Brazil.

Phil Stubbins had a reign in charge of team affairs, before another Thailand international player Anurak Srikerd took over in March 2013 as 'The Glass Rabbits' looked to improve as their stadium had done.

Bangkok Glass FC will play in the Thai Premier League in the 2013 season.

My visit

Wednesday 27th March 2013

My free day before the rest of my cricketing pals arrived in Bangkok was going well. All had gone to plan, despite a few misunderstandings with taxi drivers about my intended destinations. It was a murderously hot day, with even the locals commenting on the heat, and I was starting to flag.

Originally I had intended to pop into North Bangkok University to see the Regional League ground of North Bangkok FC, but that would have to wait for another day. My new driver headed along the Rangsit Nakhon Nayok road and was confident of where he was going, so I wasn't going to stop him. My instruction to head for the well known Dream World theme park had come up trumps. Before he turned off we saw Leo Stadium, so I ushered him in.

I had been told in advance by my Thai based Twitter pals that Leo Stadium was having a new Main Stand built, and they were bang on, as all kind of construction work that would have UK based health and safety officers having perpetual nightmares was being carried out. The taxi dropped my near the workers.

The gates to the stadium were open because of the work, so I soon found myself climbing the steps onto the large open away fans terrace. To the right was the new two tiered seated stand, which was rapidly taking shape. At the far end stood a three tier open terraced home end. There was nothing down the far touchline, although there looked to be room for construction in the future if required. A new control room was being constructed near to the Main Stand. The pitch was an artificial surface.

I continued my look around and saw the new ticket booth taking shape and then a practice pitch between the home end and the main road by another new building, which was to be the club offices and superstore. Glass had very much the look of a club moving forward.

I crossed the road by footbridge and hailed another taxi to take me to the air conditioned shopping mall of Future Park by the Don Muang intersection, observing many renovated boats that acted as restaurants along the khlong as we went. I was glad of a sit down and some cold drinks and ice cream before heading to the Thupatemee Stadium for the first of two games that evening.