Between 1916 and 1995, the
Kor Royal Cup
Kor Royal Cup (), known as the Yai Cup () until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand from 1916 to 1995. It was founded by the Football Association of Thailand in 1916. Department of ...
was the top level of club football competition. In 1996 the
Thai Premier League
The Thai League (, pronounced as ') or Thai League 1 (, pronounced as '), often referred to as T1, is the highest level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai L ...
(official name: Johnnie Walker Thailand Soccer League) was established by the
Football Association of Thailand
The Football Association of Thailand, under the Patronage of His Majesty the King (), or FA Thailand (FAT) for short, is the governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer in Thailand. It was founded on 25 April 1916. The associ ...
, sponsored by whiskey manufacturing brand
Johnnie Walker
Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...
.
In its first season, 1996/97, the Thai Premier League consisted of 18 teams from the Kor Royal Cup. Top 4 teams in the final league table would be qualified for championship playoffs, and six teams at the bottom of the league table would be relegated to the
Thailand Division 1 League
Thai League 2 (), commonly known as the T2, formally called Thai Division 1 League, is the second-tier professional league in the Thai football league system. Seasons typically run from August to May, with each team playing 34 games : two agai ...
which was to be created next season (
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
).
The defending Champions of the
Kor Royal Cup
Kor Royal Cup (), known as the Yai Cup () until 1963, was the highest level of club football competition which competed in the tournament in Thailand from 1916 to 1995. It was founded by the Football Association of Thailand in 1916. Department of ...
,
Thai Farmers Bank
Kasikornbank (, , Teochew dialect, Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 Buddhis ...
FC, would enter the next edition of the
Asian Club Championship
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...
.
Member clubs locations
*
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
*Bangkok Bank of Commerce
*
Krung Thai Bank
Krungthai Bank (;), officially Krungthai Bank Public Company Limited, and sometimes known by its initials KTB, is a state-owned bank under license issued by the Ministry of Finance. KTB's Swift code is KRTHTHBK.
History
The bank came into bein ...
*
Osotsapa M-150
*
Port Authority of Thailand
The Port Authority of Thailand (PAT) (, ) is a government agency of Thailand, responsible for the regulation and governance of the ports of Thailand, primarily the ports of Laem Chabang and Bangkok Port, the country's two largest. PAT operates Th ...
*
UCOM Raj Pracha
*
Rajvithi-Agfatech
*
Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...
*
Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) 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 sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...
*
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy (Abbreviation, Abrv: RTN, ทร.; , ) is the Navy, naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as the father of the Royal N ...
*
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...
*
Singha Tero Sasana
*Singha-Thamrongthai
*
Sinthana
*
Stock Exchange of Thailand
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (, ; SET) has been the sole stock exchange operator in Thailand since its establishment on 30 April 1975. As of 8 April 2025, with a market capitalization of US$380.19 billion (excluding mai) at an exchange rate ...
*
Thai Farmers Bank
Kasikornbank (, , Teochew dialect, Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 Buddhis ...
*
Thailand Tobacco Monopoly
*
TOT
Final league table
Championship playoff
Top 4 of the league (
Thai Farmers Bank
Kasikornbank (, , Teochew dialect, Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 Buddhis ...
,
TOT,
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
,
Stock Exchange of Thailand
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (, ; SET) has been the sole stock exchange operator in Thailand since its establishment on 30 April 1975. As of 8 April 2025, with a market capitalization of US$380.19 billion (excluding mai) at an exchange rate ...
) qualified for championship playoff.
Semifinals
February 23, 1997
Final
March 16, 1997
† ''Champions'' :
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
(Qualification for the
Asian Club Championship
The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...
).
Season notes
* The league will be reduced in size to consist of only 12 teams for season
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
. The competing clubs will be:
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
,
Stock Exchange of Thailand
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (, ; SET) has been the sole stock exchange operator in Thailand since its establishment on 30 April 1975. As of 8 April 2025, with a market capitalization of US$380.19 billion (excluding mai) at an exchange rate ...
,
Thai Farmers Bank FC
Thai Farmers Bank Football Club () was a Thai football club based in Bangkok and was owned by Thai Farmers Bank. They won two AFC Champions League titles in 1994 and 1995.
The club shut down in 2000 as a result of the fallout from the 1997 Asia ...
,
TOT,
Royal Thai Army
The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) 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 sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...
,
Royal Thai Air Force
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) (; ) is the air force of the Kingdom of Thailand. Since its establishment in 1913 as one of the earliest air forces of Asia, the Royal Thai Air Force has engaged in numerous major and minor conflicts. During the ...
,
Sinthana,
UCOM-Rajpracha,
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy (Abbreviation, Abrv: RTN, ทร.; , ) is the Navy, naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as the father of the Royal N ...
,
Port Authority
A port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure. ...
BEC Tero Sasana
Police Tero Football Club (), formerly known as BEC-Tero Sasana, is a Thai professional football club based in Lak Si, Bangkok. The club finished runners-up in the inaugural AFC Champions League competition in 2003. BEC-Tero Sasana Football Club ...
and
Royal Thai Police
The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...
.
* Another six teams, who failed to make it into the top 12 elite,
Thailand Tobacco Monopoly,
Osotsapa, Bangkok Bank of Commerce,
Raj Vithi,
Krung Thai Bank
Krungthai Bank (;), officially Krungthai Bank Public Company Limited, and sometimes known by its initials KTB, is a state-owned bank under license issued by the Ministry of Finance. KTB's Swift code is KRTHTHBK.
History
The bank came into bein ...
and Thamrongthai will join the top four teams from the old second division -
Rayong
Rayong (, ) is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand and the capital of Rayong province. It covers tambons Tha Pradu and Pak Nam and parts of ''tambons'' Choeng Noen and Noen Phra, all within Mueang Rayong dist ...
,
Samut Prakan
Samut Prakan (, ) officially the City of Samut Prakan (, ) is the capital of Samut Prakan province in Thailand. It is located south from Bangkok. The city established in 1999.
Transport Roads
*Sukhumvit Road
*Srinagarindra Road
Railway
* ...
, Royal Household Bureau and Bank for Agriculture and Co-Operatives - to make up a new second tier. It was also confirmed that there will be no play-offs for the championship this year and just one team will go either down to the Second Division and up to the first. However, the second bottom team in the top division will have to face. The second placed team in the second division to decide who takes up a place in the top 12 next year.
Asian Representation
*
Thai Farmers Bank
Kasikornbank (, , Teochew dialect, Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank, is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was established on 8 June 1945 (2488 Buddhis ...
represented Thailand in the
1996–97 Asian Club Championship, where they would reach the second round, where they were beaten by eventual winners
Pohang Steelers
The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Ko ...
of South Korea.
Annual awards
Coach of the Year
*
Withaya Laohakul -
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
Player of the Year
* Amporn Amparnsuwan -
TOT
Top scorer
* Amporn Amparnsuwan - 21 Goals
Football records in Thailand
This page details football records in Thailand.
Most successful teams
Top-performing clubs - league structures
Thai League 1
The Invincibles
Unbeatable champions:
* Muangthong United in 2012
* Buriram United in 2013
* Buriram United in 20 ...
Champions
The league champion was
Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited (, Royal Thai General System of Transcription, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 800 branches as of May 2024, within Thailand, wit ...
. It was the team's first title.
References
Thailand 1996/97RSSSF
External links
Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:1996-97 Thailand Soccer League
Thai League 1 seasons
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
1996 in Thai football
1997 in Thai football