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The 80th Birthday Stadium is a sports facility in
Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...
(Korat), Nakhon Ratchasima Province,
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. It is the main stadium in
His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5 December 2007, Sports Complex His Majesty the King's 80th Birthday Anniversary, 5 December 2007, Sports Complex () is a multi-use sports facility in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, that was built for the 2007 Southeast Asian Games which coincided with the 80th birthday of King B ...
. It is home to
Nakhon Ratchasima FC Nakhonratchasima Mazda Football Club ( Thai สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดนครราชสีมา), commonly known as Korat, is a professional football club based in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. They play in the Th ...
, a professional team, and it was used for the
2007 Southeast Asian Games The 2007 Southeast Asian Games ( th, กีฬาแห่งเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ 2007, Kila haeng echiye tawan oak chiyeng tai 2007), officially known as the 24th Southeast Asian Games, was a South ...
which coincided with the 80th birthday of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...
, hence the name of the venue.


History

The stadium is in the former
SEA Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...
sports complex on Highway 304 (
Pak Thong Chai Pak Thong Chai (เทศบาลตำบลปักธงชัย), Pak Thong Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, effective 16 July 16, 2008. The TAO ''Tao'' or ''Dao'' is the natural order of the universe, whose character one's ...
Road) southwest of the city of
Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...
. The stadium is all-seated with space for 24,641 spectators. The tribunes form a continuous ring, almost a perfect circle, around the pitch and running track. The stands are uncovered on three sides but a huge
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
ed roof provides cover for about 7,000 seats on one side where the ring rises to approximately double the height of the tribune it faces. Most of the seats in the stadium are bright orange (the same colour as Nakhon Ratchasima FC's home kit) and are the fixed-bucket style. But in the main stand some of the seats at the top of the tribune are red and those in the VIP section are not fixed bucket but the tip-up type favoured in the UK. In the lower sections of the main stand the initials "SAT" (
Sports Authority of Thailand The Ministry of Tourism and Sports ( Abrv: MOTS; th, กระทรวงการท่องเที่ยวและกีฬา, ) is a cabinet ministry in the Government of Thailand. The ministry's primary areas of responsibility are to ...
) are picked out in blue. The equivalent letters in Thai script are also picked out in blue. There are commentary boxes and private suites at the top of the main stand. There is also a large royal box in the middle of the main stand. At the north end of the stadium is a large scoreboard. At the opposite end are the three flagpoles used for the SEA Games and the place where the "Olympic" flame burned. The concourses are basic and continue around the entire stadium. As with most Thai stadiums, the entrances lead directly into the seating areas with little in the way of facilities for supporters save for some modern and well-appointed toilets. The pitch is one of the better ones to be found in Thailand and is known to drain well in the rainy season. There are two
floodlight A floodlight is a broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial light. They are often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions. More focused kinds are often used as a stage ...
systems in use at the stadium. There are roof-mounted lights on the main stand side and there are four very tall concrete pylons which stand outside the stadium. Both systems were installed because when the SEA Games was in progress the running track, pitch, sand pits, high-jump, pole vault and shot-put areas had to be illuminated simultaneously. The large stadium also has its own "
Lesser Hampden Lesser Hampden is a football stadium in Mount Florida, Glasgow, Scotland, which is located immediately beside the western end of Hampden Park stadium. History In 1923, Queen's Park were looking for an alternative venue for their reserves and y ...
". Just opposite the main entrance to the stadium itself is a floodlit pitch, complete with a running track and a small stand. This modest arena would be large enough to host Nakhon Ratchasima FC matches but the ground doesn't meet league standards as it is not enclosed and the floodlights are not powerful enough for evening matches. However, Nakhon Ratchasima did use the ground for a pre-season friendly in March 2009 against
Khonkaen FC Khon Kaen Football Club ( Thai: สโมสรฟุตบอลจังหวัดขอนแก่น) is a Thailand professional football club, based in Khon Kaen province, a city located in the heart of the North Eastern Region of Thai ...
. Nakhon Ratchasima FC moved into the stadium in June 2008, having previously played at the
Nakhon Ratchasima Municipal Stadium The Nakhon Ratchasima Municipal Stadium ( th, สนามกีฬากลางเทศบาลนครนครราชสีมา) is a multi-use sports stadium in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. It is the former home of Nakhon Ratchasima ...
. The move was initially on a trial basis: if it wasn't deemed a success, then the club would return to the Municipal Stadium. However, the switch has proven a success, therefore, the Swat Cats continue to use the stadium for their home matches.


Stadium and locations


References


External links


World Stadiums.com

Photos at koratfc.netPhotos of 'Lesser Stadium'.
{{Thai League T1 venues Football venues in Thailand Buildings and structures in Nakhon Ratchasima Sport in Nakhon Ratchasima province Sports venues completed in 2007 2007 establishments in Thailand Southeast Asian Games stadiums Southeast Asian Games athletics venues Southeast Asian Games football venues