Provincial League (formerly known as Professional League) also known as Pro League was the old regional

Football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

league 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 ...

in 1999–2008. It was founded in 1999 under the name "Provincial League" organized by Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The name was changed to "Professional League" in 2004 and then changed back to "Provincial League" in 2007. Before combining with

Thailand Division 2 League Thai League 4 ( th, ไทยลีก 4), commonly known as the T4, was the fourth level association football league in Thailand. In 2009, it was divided into five groups by geographic region. Each group contained 16 clubs except for the Southe ...

in 2009, The Pro League was contested by clubs from

provinces of Thailand The provinces of Thailand are part of the government of Thailand that is divided into 76 provinces ( th, จังหวัด, , ) proper and one special administrative area ( th, เขตปกครองส่วนท้องถิ่� ...

divided into 5 regions. During 1999–2004, Provincial League was competed parallel with

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 ...

(also see

Thai football league system Cup eligibility Being members of a league at a particular level also affects the eligibility for Cup competitions. *Thai FA Cup: Levels 1 to 5 *Thai League Cup: Levels 1 to 3 Current system Former system Before 1996 season Before the top l ...

). The winners and runners-up from each regions will play in playoff matches in the tournament at the end of a season. The top two teams are promoted to

History

Provincial League was founded in 1999. The idea of Pro League came from two reasons: introducing the full professional football players and supporting the regional football clubs. Before the Pro League, many clubs in the

, another top national league, came from the government authorities, the military, and amateur clubs from big private companies. All of those clubs also located 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 ...

and regional clubs are not supported by the government. Then the Sports Authority of Thailand proposed a new league which includes teams from different provinces. During 1999–2006, Pro League had two divisions, Pro League 1 and Pro League 2. Pro League 1 played in home-away format. The last two teams in the table are relegated into Pro League 2. The rest of the teams playing in Pro League 2 divided into 5 geographical regions. The winners and runners-up from each regions will play in the tournament format at the end of the season. The winner and runner-up of the tournament are promoted into Pro League 1. In 2007, Pro League 1 was merged into

and Thailand Division 1 League. Then Pro League 2 changed the name to "Provincial League" again playing in the same format. The end-season tournament got the name of SAT Championship. The top two team are promoted into Thailand Division 2 League 2008. In 2009, Provincial League was combined to

2009 Regional League Division 2 2009 Regional League Division 2 was contested by the five regional league winners of the 3rd level championships of Thailand. Five teams met on a home and away basis, with the top three teams gaining promotion to the Thai 1st Division for the 20 ...

completely by the

Football Association of Thailand The Football Association of Thailand under Patronage of His Majesty the King ( th, สมาคมกีฬาฟุตบอลแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระบรมราชูปถัมภ์), or FA Thailand for s ...

Championship History

* The teams in bold typeface are promoted to

External links

Sports Authority of Thailand

Thai football Blog
{{Football in Thailand 1999 establishments in Thailand 2009 disestablishments in Thailand Football leagues in Thailand Sports leagues disestablished in 2009 Sports leagues established in 1999

History

Championship History

See also

External links