Thai Premier League 2009 Football Fever

The eight month Thai Premier League 2009 season from March through October featured many unbelievable happenings that had not occurred over the last twenty years. An example was the scene of thousands of fans cheering for their favorite teams in the stadiums, especially during the ‘Big Match’ for the championship between Chonburi FC and Muang Thong United at Bangkok’s Thunder Dome Stadium. The stadium was packed with fans from both sides waving flags and boisterously cheering to bolster their players’ spirits. This was a new phenomenon for Thai football. Tickets for matches sold out quickly. Some matches generated over a million baht in ticket sales and sales of other items, such as souvenir collections and players' autographs. Although this is common in other countries, it was new
for Thailand.

Football Fever wasn’t only generated from the heated games on the field, but also from the sidelines. Many new teams to the Thai Premier League introduced themselves to the public by using unique marketing strategies, such as Bangkok Glass FC’s use of beautiful ladies dressed as ‘Rabbit Girls.’ Other FCs followed suit. For example, Muang Thong United invited sexy models from FHM Magazine to heat up the atmosphere under the theme of ‘United Diva.’ Chula United’s pretty girls dressed as ‘Pink Panther.’ Thai Port, Pattaya United, Sriracha and Electric FCs used similar marketing gimmicks.

Thai media also caught the fever and appeared to publish and publicize every update of every match, resulting in many new terms and mottos in the football world.

The cyber world also got into the act. Many web sites featured interesting topics related to the Thai Premier League and allowed visitors to discuss and post their opinions. Meanwhile, many FCs intend to professionalize their qualifications in order to be ranked in higher stages.