The Jaturamitr Samakkee ( th, จตุรมิตรสามัคคี, , pronounced ) is a traditional secondary school football competition played by the four oldest boys' schools in

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 b ...

Debsirin School Debsirin School ( th, โรงเรียนเทพศิรินทร์, ) is a boys' secondary school in Thailand. Founded by King Chulalongkorn in 1885, its alumni include King Ananda Mahidol, Malaysia's founding father Tunku Abdul ...

, Assumption College, and

Bangkok Christian College Bangkok Christian College (BCC)( th, โรงเรียนกรุงเทพคริสเตียนวิทยาลัย) is a private boys' school in the financial district of Si Lom, Bangkok. The school has a longstanding reputation ...

. It is held biennially, usually in November, at Suphachalasai Stadium in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, with the schools rotating as hosts.

Background

The first championship series was held from 16 October to 18 November 1964, with student unity as a central theme for the games. Subsequent competitions were held annually until 1985, except in 1966–1967, 1972, 1974–1977 and 1979–1980. From 1987, the competition continued on a biennial basis. It is a popular Thai football event, and outstanding players from the competition continue their careers by playing in the

Thailand Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...

, including such figures as Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul and

Teerathep Winothai Teeratep Winothai ( th, ธีรเทพ วิโนทัย, born 16 February 1985), simply known as Leesaw ( th, ลีซอ) is a Thai retired footballer playing as a forward. He previously spent his youth career with England's Crystal ...

. The event is regularly broadcast on national television, and the three latest competitions have also been broadcast via live streaming video with live scores published on an official website. In addition to the matches themselves, great efforts are made to create elaborate displays and

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s. Although unity has always been the central theme of the competition (''jaturamitr'' is derived from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

' + ', meaning 'four friends' and ''samakkee'' (from

Pali Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Theravāda'' Buddh ...

'')'' translates as 'harmony' or 'unity'). The word ''Jaturamitr'' is often used as a

catch phrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...

to refer to students or alumni of the four participating schools. Strong rivalries have developed between the schools. Especially intense are the rivalries between Suankularb and Debsirin and Assumption versus Bangkok Christian. This has led to several cases of inter-school violence during the weeks of the competition. The extent of the issue is such that strict audience segregation and security enforcement is required during the matches. The latest, 29th competition, was held on 9 to 16 November 2019, hosted by Suankularb Wittayalai School. Debsirin School won the championship. The 30th competition is scheduled to be held on 2021, hosted by Debsirin School.

Tournaments

Jaturamitr Samakkee football match was founded in 1964 as the first year. The order of competition and host are as follows:

References

{{reflist

External links

Jaturamitr Website
Football cup competitions in Thailand Recurring sporting events established in 1964 1964 establishments in Thailand Student sport in Thailand

Background

Tournaments

See also

References

External links