{"id":22941,"date":"2020-06-08T14:13:35","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T05:13:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/?p=22941"},"modified":"2020-06-08T14:21:03","modified_gmt":"2020-06-08T05:21:03","slug":"how-are-thai-clubs-coping-with-covid-19-muang-loei-uniteds-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/2020\/06\/08\/how-are-thai-clubs-coping-with-covid-19-muang-loei-uniteds-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"How Are Thai Clubs Coping With COVID-19? Muang Loei United’s Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Credit – Muang Loei United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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The current COVID-19 situation and subsequent has hit football clubs hard, with many sides in the lower divisions struggling as the virus compounds existing issues. However, the experience of Muang Loei United could be a particularly insightful and informative one, as the side’s unique long-term strategy is being put to the test. The club’s board member and technical director\u00a0Albert Mingphakanee<\/strong><\/a> sat down with Football Tribe’s\u00a0Gian Chansrichawla<\/strong><\/a> to discuss his club’s general approach to development, and how they are using this to their advantage in their current situation.<\/p>\n

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G: Please give a quick background about your team has fared in T3 so far this season<\/b><\/p>\n

A: So right now in T3 we have only played two games. The first was against Chulalongkorn and the second was Chasoengsao FC. So the first game we lost, and the second game we won, and that was the beginning of COVID so we have stopped until now. We\u2019ve heard news that Thai League 3 and 4 are combining, and that\u2019s basically it. We are just getting our team ready again for September.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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G: Was the standard of football a big step up to T3, or was it pretty much the same quality of teams?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: Of course it\u2019s different. T4 is still a miniature league, but with T3 once you get in it, it\u2019s more competitive. People are spending more money in the club, getting the best players. The salary cap has increased, as well as the team\u2019s value. So, at the end of the last year we decided; we have high hopes of winning T3 to go to T2 but in reality, it\u2019s hard because of the players\u2019 level, [especially] for foreign players, as the rate of their salary caps make a big difference. Also, the team’s management, and the way they sustain in T3 for a long time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Credit – Muang Loei United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G: What challenges has Muang Loei United faced as a result of COVID-19?<\/b><\/p>\n

A: So the biggest challenge is getting the fanbase back. Last year we moved our stadium from Wang Saphung stadium to the riverside stadium in the city of Muang Loei, so we are capturing the fanbase of the old Loei city to become Muang Loei United [supporters]. So the second game, there was a big crowd of people, there were 2000 people watching the game. Which is a good thing, because it\u2019s the first time where the Loei city fanbase has come back to cheer for the only team in Loei. But still, the biggest problem is that, after COVID, we never know what is going to happen. Is the fanbase coming back? Or, how will the momentum of the team be like? So that is the biggest problem we face during COVID right now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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G: How has the break affected your sponsorship deals? So in general, the money coming in through your sponsors – are you still with them? Are they going to have trouble paying you this year?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: I mean, of course, we are not like the big T1 or T2 teams. Our main sponsor is still with us but our smaller sponsors right now have trouble dealing with money and we understand them because they have been with us for a long time, and we will do our best as a club to move forward to the best solution. But also, we kind of understand how the situation is and money might have to wait, but you know, we are not going to leave our sponsor or the sponsor will not leave us. But, in the meantime, we are trying to find more sponsors to fill in the gap. Or maybe some people have that business opportunity where they see the club rising or the opportunity for us to go to T2 this year and could invest in us. We are open to all sponsors right now.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

G: So, do you think you will be able to manage financially until September with the current situation and how are your revenue streams from other areas doing?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: So our financial situation right now is not critical, it’s in a steady place because right now we have released some of the players so we can reduce our salary costs and be able to sustain the money flowing in the club. Our biggest financial income will be from the clubs\u2019 sales of shirts, since this year we have the best design*, and we\u2019re pretty proud of that. And also, this shirt design makes us generate more shirt sales than any other year, and that is an income that is feeding our club right now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

*Muang Loei\u2019s kit was recognized for having the best design in all divisions of Thai football this season<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Credit – Muang Loei United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G: Excluding the financial aspect to it, the league is not going to start until September now. Do you think that, on its own, a September-to-May schedule will be better in general for the Thai League?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: I mean, of course, nobody wants the break to be that long but under the COVID situation we understand how the government is dealing and how the football association is working right now so we respect their decision but, to be honest, as a soccer lover and a football fan, we all want to see football played [some time] soon. But, it\u2019s not going to affect <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> we play, because at the end of the day fans will get to see their football and see how we have evolved. But it really affects…the momentum and the player\u2019s fitness. Of course, we will have to see that again after the season starts again because we never know. At the end of the day people might watch T2, T3, T1, you never know, because during that time there will be many sports around the world that will be broadcasting. And there are many [other] sports like NFL. Some people don\u2019t want to watch Thai football, they would rather watch other sports, and the premier league will be back too, there is a lot of competition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s really hard to say right now because we never know what different fans are thinking about what they should watch because there are many choices to be made during that time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

G: So you mentioned that fans have other options for things to watch. What is your club doing personally to make fans stay engaged with the club, and what do you think the league should do as a whole to keep fans engaged for when the football comes back?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: So basically every month right now we\u2019re having a \u2018keep in touch fan base\u2019 where we have a live broadcast on some of the news or some of the players who are coming in. Some exciting news, to make the fans still engaged because we all know that during COVID we released many players but after COVID we want to surprise fans with more players too. That is something that our fans are looking forward to, and also we have promotions on shirts and different stuff. We are trying to improve. But like I said, we are not T1 or T2 where we have a lot of money to engage with the fans that much<\/span><\/p>\n

But considering the fanbase of our club, we have a lot compared to other T3 and T4 clubs for our fanbase. I think, for the club, and for the football [association], I think they are doing their best, I have to say.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Like for us, coming to T3 and now have to be combined, it is hard for us. But we have to accept that\u2019s how it is, but in reality, we want the Thai League to take responsibility for how they can help us further. Because we sacrificed a lot from T4 to T3 last year, and now we have to be combined, it\u2019s hard to take things in. We could work things out with the federation, but it is hard. Most of the federation are mostly focused on T1 and T2 because that’s where the majority of their income is, but I want them to come and look at T3 and T4 to see the problems more. There are a lot of problems that need to be fixed if they want this football to sustain for a long time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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G: You mentioned the combination of T3 and T4 and how they are going to become one league. So clubs that did not work as hard as you, and did not invest the same amount of money that you did, are going to get promoted by default, and from what I hear, they are going to keep the points they collected in T4 when they come up to T3. So what do you think of that firstly, and secondly, how does that change your plans?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: Our plan will be the same. We will try to give the fans the best performance and give us the best result for the club. But, at the end of the day, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair, but it\u2019s just two games. I think with the momentum of our team, and the capacity and strength of our team we are able to [pick up] points from two games and be top of the group. Like I said, we used to be in this championship spot before, and we know how the pressure works, and we know how to play the game. It\u2019s not about winning mentality, it\u2019s about the experience where we faced before – the [promotion playoff finals]. Some of the teams in T4 have never faced that pressure but we have, and I think that is one of our strengths to move forward from this point on.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Credit – Muang Loei United Official<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

G: You mentioned off air that you have a big academy, and that Muang Loei have invested a lot in their academy to improve younger players from the area. And you mentioned that it is probably easier for you than other clubs because you have already built the infrastructure for the academy. So, will young players get more of a chance now in your team because of COVID, and what advantage does that give you against other clubs in the league?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: Young players always get a chance for us, because our coach believes in young players too, and we want players from our city to shine so that we at least have some gems in our city to brag about. And also at the same time, this year, we are trying to push young players because we believe in their talent, not because of the way we want to reduce our salaries – we really believe in their capability to bring this team forward.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The advantage we have is that we have the academy to support us, but the majority of teams in T3 and T4 do not have that academy to support. Some of the clubs are only investing in players and buying players – and it\u2019s going to cost a lot of money. But what we decided to do is that we create an academy to give these young players a chance, give young players a chance to be successful in a top league, and we are never stopping these players from coming to show their true potential and also, every year, we try to bring the best players to be in the team in every position. It is not about who comes first – it is about your ability to show that you are able to play, so anyone can be in the starting lineup, even if you are young or old, as long as you show your worth and your ability. Anyone can shine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, the academy program helps us a lot because we have big sponsors to help with the academy\u2019s growth, and this academy growth helps support as backup. If a team has an academy, it shows they have a strong backup and they have a sustainable long-term team ahead. You don\u2019t need to worry about the club\u2019s financial problems because as long as you have those academy players, they could push up any time so [we] don\u2019t have to worry too much about the [problems we will face].<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

G: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to add about the situation of the team and what is going on?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

A: The situation of the team right now is pretty stable, I would like to say. There is nothing much at this point and we are trying to get the fans what they want. Get the best players, get the best PR team. At least we are proud of what we accomplished this year with regards to the shirt design. But right now, the biggest thing is that we want to find more sponsorships, not only from Thailand but from many countries. If people see this as a business opportunity, it would be great for all of us. I think sponsorships are not just about money, it\u2019s about those connections and being able to promote your brands or other aspects, because our club is not about getting the most money out of you, it is about being sustainable and happy from both sides. I think if people see this as an opportunity, feel free to ask me any time, or if you want to sponsor us, it is fine for us too. If you guys see this as an opportunity to grow your brand forward or grow your business further. It doesn\u2019t need to be big brands or small brands, if you want to talk to us or if you think that this might be your opportunity to grow forward, feel free to ask or feel free to contact me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you very much and I hope that Muang Loei does well and will be in T2 soon!<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  The current COVID-19 situation and subsequent has hit football clubs hard, with many sides in the lower divisions struggling as the virus compounds existing issues. However, the experience of Muang Loei United could be a particularly insightful and informative one, as the side’s unique long-term strategy is being put to the test. The club’s board member and technical director\u00a0Albert Mingphakanee sat down with Football Tribe’s\u00a0Gian Chansrichawla to discuss his club’s general approach to development, and how they are using this to their advantage in their current situation.   G: Please give a quick background about your team has fared in T3 so far this season A: So right now … Continue reading “How Are Thai Clubs Coping With COVID-19? Muang Loei United’s Experience”<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":22966,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,38],"tags":[2125,95,200,2126,68],"class_list":["post-22941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-southeast-asia","category-thailand","tag-muang-loei-united","tag-slider","tag-thai-league","tag-thai-league-3","tag-thailand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/90"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22941"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22978,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22941\/revisions\/22978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22966"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/football-tribe.com\/asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}