The Buriram Stadium (known for sponsorship purposes as Chang Arena) is a 32,600-seat football

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

in Buriram,

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 ...

. The stadium is the home of

's 2011, 2013, and 2015 treble champions, Buriram United. Chang Arena is the largest club-owned football stadium in Thailand. Its nickname is "The Thunder Castle", the fifth castle of Buriram Province.

History

Chang Arena is in the Isan sub-districts,

Mueang Buriram District Mueang Buriram ( th, เมืองบุรีรัมย์, , ) is the capital district (''amphoe mueang'') of Buriram province, northeastern Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): Prakhon Chai, Nang ...

, Buriram Province. The 150-acre site has a capacity of 32,600 people with parking for 500 cars and 1,000 motorcycles. The pitch is floodlit, allowing for night matches. It is funded under the title-assignment contract from I-Mobile and parts of club president Newin Chidchob. The stadium was recorded in

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

that is the only FIFA-level football stadium in the world with the lowest construction time in the world with 256 days.

Name

The stadium was originally named "New I-Mobile Stadium" due to a sponsorship agreement with I-Mobile. It is also known as "Thunder Castle Stadium". In 2017 the stadium was renamed to "Chang Arena" due to the sponsorship of Chang beer. The stadium is referred to by its official name, Buriram Stadium, by the

Asian Football Confederation The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in some countries/territories in Asia and Oceania. It has 47 member countries most of which are located in Asia. Australia, formerly in ...

(AFC).Chang Arena Stadium
/ref>

Facilities

Fancy Crave 2015-06-18 (Unsplash qowyMze7jqg)

The stadium is the first sole-use football stadium in Thailand that meets

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

and AFC standards. The stadium is eligible to host all levels of domestic or international football matches. The stadium houses locker rooms for home and visiting teams, modern medical facilities, and television and radio broadcasting facilities.

International football matches

2020 AFC U-23 Championship

Attendances

The average and highest attendances at Buriram United domestic league competitions:

References

Football venues in Thailand Buildings and structures in Buriram province Sports venues completed in 2011 2011 establishments in Thailand {{Thailand-sports-venue-stub