Army United Football Club ( th, สโมสรฟุตบอลอาร์มี่ ยูไนเต็ด) was a Thai
football club under the stewardship of
Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
History
Origin
The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...
based in the
Din Daeng District
Din Daeng ( th, ดินแดง, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from north, are Chatuchak, Huai Khwang, Ratchathewi, and Phaya Thai.
History
The district was created in 1993, when t ...
of
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 ...
and is one of the oldest continuing football club in Asia until they decided to discontinue the club in the end of season 2019 after 103 years in existence. The club was founded in 1916 and was known as Royal Thai Army until November 2010. Their home stadium is known locally as the
Thai Army Sports Stadium
The Royal Thai Army Stadium ( th, สนามกีฬากองทัพบก) is a multi-purpose stadium on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in the Phaya Thai of north Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium ...
and more widely known around Asian circles as the Royal Thai Army Stadium of which has been host to numerous international youth matches due to its central Bangkok location. The club play in red shirts with red shorts and red socks. Despite finishing bottom of the
Thai 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 Augu ...
in 2010 they managed to regain their top-flight status after winning Group B of the Thai League Play-off in 2011.
History
Army United represents the
Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
History
Origin
The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's ...
and has traditionally been Thailand's yo-yo club along with the Navy and Police clubs. Up until 2010 and the name change from the Royal Thai Army to Army United, the club lacked support and had dwindling crowds, mainly supported by Army personnel shipped in for the games.
The Army team has always been a mid ranking Thai team with their biggest successes coming in the
Thai Division 1 League
Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the s ...
with a championship in the 2004–05 season and 2nd place in 2009. Both of these successes have of course come after relegation from the Thai League.
The club are based in the
Din Daeng District
Din Daeng ( th, ดินแดง, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from north, are Chatuchak, Huai Khwang, Ratchathewi, and Phaya Thai.
History
The district was created in 1993, when t ...
of Central
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 ...
, which is the area that bases the Royal Thai Army. Up until the 2011 season, the club operated a policy of only playing homegrown talent but ditched this as the game became more professional and foreign players were brought into the team. Previously the players would work for the Army during the week and play football on weekends, somewhat different from most clubs who operated on a full-time basis.
In the 2010 season, they were reprieved from relegation after an end of season relegation/playoff system was announced to expand the
Thai 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 Augu ...
. They came 16th in that season and in a normal season they would have been relegated.
In 2011, rebranded Army United signed five Brazilians and surprised all expectations as they topped the TPL in the early weeks of the season. Crowds rose from a few hundred hardy souls to a season average of 5,580.
Leandro Dos Santos was hitting the back of the net regularly yet the early season form petered out and Army finished in 13th position.
In 2012, most of the Brazilians had moved on but were replaced with other highly rated foreign stars.
Daniel Blanco
Daniel Alberto Blanco (born July 30, 1978) is an Argentine retired footballer who played as a centre back and football coach.
Honours
Club
;F91 Dudelange
*Luxembourg National Division
The National Division ( lb, Nationaldivisioun, french: D ...
was the most impressive performer as Army flirted with the Top 6 for long periods before eventually finishing in 10th position.
The 2012 season also coincided with Army reaching the
2012 Thai FA Cup final. On the way to the final, Army was given a reprieve after they'd lost a penalty shoot-out to regional league side Trat. It turned out that Trat had fielded an unregistered player and was booted out of the cup with Army reinstated. Army United then took the scalp of runaway TPL leaders
Muangthong United on the way to the final. The final itself was rather disappointing for the club with Army losing 2–1 to
Buriram United.
In 2013, the club signed a strategic partnership deal with Thai-owned English club
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city lies on the River Soar and close to the eastern end of the National ...
.
In 2019, Army United decided to dissolved the club end the history of the club with 103 years.
Stadium
Thai Army Sports Stadium
The Royal Thai Army Stadium ( th, สนามกีฬากองทัพบก) is a multi-purpose stadium on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in the Phaya Thai of north Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium ...
is a
multi-purpose stadium
A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used by multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a specific design philosophy tha ...
on Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road in the
Din Daeng District
Din Daeng ( th, ดินแดง, ) is one of the 50 districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. Its neighbours, clockwise from north, are Chatuchak, Huai Khwang, Ratchathewi, and Phaya Thai.
History
The district was created in 1993, when t ...
of north
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is currently used mostly for
football matches and is the home stadium of Army United F.C.
Army United Clubinfo on thai-fussball.com
/ref> The stadium holds 20,000 and has a single stand with covered seating on one side and terracing on three sides. An athletics track surrounds the pitch. It is often used by Thai club sides in international football competitions and was used by Bangkok University
University (BU; th, มหาวิทยาลัยกรุงเทพ; ), commonly known as Mo Krung Thep ( th, มอกรุงเทพ), has operated since 1962, is one of the oldest and largest private, non-profit universities in ...
in the 2007 AFC Champions League
The 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title.
Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds became champions for the first time, beating S ...
and Osotsapa in the 2007 AFC Cup. Additionally, it has been used for matches involving national sides in international tournaments hosted by Thailand where the hosts are not involved.
Stadium and locations by season records
Season by season domestic record
*P = Played
*W = Games Won
*D = Games Drawn
*L = Games Lost
*F = Goals for
*A = Goals Against
*Pts = Points
*Pos = Final Position
*N/A = No answer
*TPL = Thai 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 Augu ...
*TL = Thai League 1
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 ...
*QR1 = First Qualifying Round
*QR2 = Second Qualifying Round
*QR3 = Third Qualifying Round
*QR4 = Fourth Qualifying Round
*RInt = Intermediate Round
*R1 = Round 1
*R2 = Round 2
*R3 = Round 3
*R4 = Round 4
*R5 = Round 5
*R6 = Round 6
*GR = Group stage
*QF = Quarter-finals
*SF = Semi-finals
*RU = Runners-up
*S = Shared
*W = Winners
Coaches
''Coaches by Years (1996–2019)
Honours
Domestic competitions
* Thai Division 1 League
Thai League 2 ( th, ไทยลีก 2), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. The top 3 are promoted to Thai League 1 at the end of the s ...
** Winner (1): 2004–05
* Thai FA Cup
The Thai FA Cup ( th, ไทยเอฟเอคัพ), known officially as The Football Association of Thailand Cup, is a football cup competition in Thailand. Thai FA Cup is an annual knockout association football competition in men's domest ...
** ''Runner-up'' (1): 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...
* Kor Royal Cup
Kor Royal Cup ( th, ถ้วยพระราชทาน ก. ; ถ้วย ก.), known as the Yai Cup ( th, ถ้วยใหญ่) until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand ...
** Winner (1): 1983
* Queen's Cup
The Queen's Cup was an annual football cup competition in Thailand, run by the Football Association of Thailand. The competition was named after Queen Sirikit.
It was first contested in 1970, with Bangkok Bank and Royal Thai Air Force joint win ...
** ''Runner-up'' (1): 1997
References
External links
*
Army United
at Thai Premier League
{{Thai League 1
Football clubs in Thailand
Association football clubs established in 1916
Thai League 1 clubs
Sport in Bangkok
1916 establishments in Siam
Military association football clubs in Thailand