AUU Dream Team (Thailand)

AUU Dream Team is an amateur football club from the Thai capital of Bangkok that was formed in 2020. It’s origins and connection to a company is unclear, but the side joined the Bangkok Premier League as members of Division 5.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge disruption to the competition, with mass postponements and realignments of each tier, with some clubs folding. AUU played the 2021-22 campaign in Division 3, finishing in fifth position.

 

For the 2022-23 AUU became connected with Thai League 3 club, Inter Bangkok, who changed their title to AUU Inter Bangkok.

AUU Dream Team will play in the Bangkok Premier League Division 3 in the 2022-23 season.

My visit

AUU Dream Team 7 SPA Srongpol 1 (Sunday 3rd April 2022) Bangkok Premier League Division 3 (att: c25) 

Sunday afternoon’s saw my local pal Steve and I head to some of the amateur league football, which I had discovered through Facebook. He was occupied until 3pm, so this 4pm kick off not too far away fitted the bill on a weekend of few fixtures during the Songkran holiday.

The only information I had for the venue was that it was at the National Training Centre in Nong Chock. We set out by taxi, going the wrong way which meant a long detour that took us past Bangkok Arena. 

Just how an arena, miles from the city had its title was one I couldn’t answer, but it looked impressive enough from outside. Originally titled Bangkok Futsal Arena and was built for the 2012 World Cup of that sport. Unfortunately, it was never used after a faulty floor was laid. As to its future, who knows?

Anyway, we eventually found what we were looking for after passing the former BEC Tero Sasana stadium and then being dropped off by the large buildings which once looked like a blueprint for the future but were now semi derelict.

Round the back was three pitches. I quickly worked out which was ours as I recognised the visiting side warming up. SPA Srongpol, were a kind outfit run by Chai Phichai who gave me a club shirt a few months ago, When I visited my first game in Bangkok after my relocation.

Chai was ever helpful informing me of fixtures, and even asked me if I fancied a game. Twenty years previously for sure, but my days at that level were well in the past. Though I must admit on occasions, I did wonder.

A couple of which occurred during the first half of this encounter. The game started reasonable even before the fitness and skill of the youthful AUU side began to tell. A superb free kick on fifteen minutes from midfielder Rata Kochasen opened the scoring and opened the floodgates.

Four minutes later a far post diving header from front man Phawat Limprapunsilp doubled the lead. An awful goal kick and bad defending led to the third on twenty minutes as Sirawit Klaijinda made no mistake.

 

Srongpol were being pulled apart at ease. French goalkeeper Michele Lanari made a rare save before a free kick cannoned off his bar with the stopper well beaten. He was picking the ball out of the net once again nine minutes before the interval following a long range effort from defender Chanakorn Soikham.

The goals were being shared out by the Dream Team with Nonthaphon Daoruang collecting a long pass and lobbing Lanari a couple of minutes later to make it 5-0. It was half a dozen on the stroke of half time as the same player was sent clean through. 

During the break we tried unsuccessfully to find anywhere selling water and had a walk around the pitch and taking in the pleasant surroundings. It really did have potential, if not for the national team, then a professional club as a base.

Credit to Srongpol who re-organised and made five changes in personnel, including the goalie. They were far better after the interval despite conceding ten minutes after the restart as Daoruang completed his hat trick after getting clean through once again. 

Whether AUU took their foot off the gas, or Srongpol were genuinely decent is hard to tell, but it made for a far better watch. The away side got their reward with sixteen minutes remaining as Phitsanu Chivajorn netted a consolation.

We decided to have a walk after the game and have a look at the old stadium, which once hosted big crowds in the top level of Thai football. A game had just come to a conclusion in the Bangkok Premier League. I later found out that APD United used it for their two sides. 

Wandering down lanes was a nice way to catch up and have a natter before returning to civilisation on Mit Maitri Road. After a barren wait for a bus back to Minburi we eventually hailed a taxi back to Pak Soi Market.

Unfortunately, owing to the holiday Toy Bar wasn’t open, so we went our separate ways to catch up with football from England on TV at home. It had been a really nice few hours.