Billionaire Belgian nobleman finds interest in promoting football for hill tribe youths

CHIANG RAI: -- The stadium was hot in the afternoon, given it was made of concrete. But it was fairly occupied, and served its functions well. Above and over this, it has the biggest giant LCD screen in Chiang Rai, mostly playing latest music videos from the world's top charts.

By early evening, over half of the 5,000 seats in the stadium were filled. Most in the crowds were local teenagers, although there were also football fans of other age groups.

But what's special about Chiang Rai Hills stadium, in Mea Chan district of Chiang Rai province, is not its popularity. Rather, it is the fact that all of the stadium staff are from hill tribe villages. Recently it held the “Ethnicity Cup”, a football tournament for teams from different hill tribe villages.

The stadium started off as a by-product of another idea. A group of teenagers from hill tribe villages wanted to set up a football team. They asked for sponsorship from Chao Phraya Siam Manukulkit Foundation, controlled by a billionaire Belgian nobleman, who has a residence in Mae Chan. When the foundation decided to hire a coach for them, it was the start of Chiang Rai Hills Football Club - Thailand's first purely hill tribe football team to play in an official league.

Over time, however, the team and the foundation agreed that the team would need a stadium, and that to sustain itself financially the team would have to stop playing and come to run the stadium instead.

The construction of Chiang Rai Hills stadium cost 40 million baht. For Count Gerald van der Straten Ponthez, who inherited his family’s shares in the world’s largest beer company, the amount only equalled the price of his latest Lamborghini.

However, to the Belgian count, the Chiang Rai Hills project is more than a rich man’s toy. He regards the project as one of his six achievements in life. His other achievements include a local radio station which he helped set up, and the football club, Chiang Rai united, which he helped fund.

While more may be expected of an idle billionaire nobleman, the Chiang Rai Hills project, indeed, is meaningful to several lives. Twenty-two-year-old Banchong Mayoe, now the stadium’s manager, remarked that he might have remained in the village and possibly been a drug addict, if not for the opportunities given to him by the project.

There are, however, many other hill tribe youths who are not as lucky as Banchong. And perhaps the next step for the foundation to take should be to extend its aide to those, and resist the temptation to nurture its favourite few.


-- NNT 2013-03-06

great and i am sure the students and children thank him

Edited March 6, 201313 yr by phuketrichard

Trickle-down economics at its finest.

never heard of this guy and you cannot find anything of him on google ?

never heard of this guy and you cannot find anything of him on google ?

Plenty on google and if you are a Stella Artois drinker you should have heard of him ;-)

http://www.thailandtatler.com/gerald-van-der-straten-ponthoz/

http://www.insiithaihouse.com/Foundation_launch_1.htm

I heard he's even been known to post on thaivisa now and then too.

Three Cheers to him , hic !

I forgot to add , that there does seem to be some very very rich people now living here in Chiang Rai , operating football clubs, resorts etc and dont seem to care about the flash cars they drive while others find it hard to eat on a daily basis . I know this is life and those have - have, those that dont wished they had.

However , I would like to see these very wealthy people with more money than they can spend , actually spend it on something really worth while. How about getting together , put your funds together , build a small hospital , with all the latest technological equipment , then fill the place with Western Doctors and nurses . Then maybe the local doctors and nurses can learn from the skills and medical experience of the western medical team , because that is much needed in Chiang Rai .

Give the people FREE care , free operations and the chance to have an improved life that they may not get from the hospitals here or because they dont have the money to pay for what they need.

Now that would be a good idea .

Edited March 7, 201313 yr by sunholidaysun1

Good Luck to the man.

At least he is helping ,in a cruel world

His name is Gerry/Jerry (not sure of the spelling) and a real nice guy. He,s a young fella to boot. He came to my Kangaroo Bar one day and had a few cold ones with the customers. He was part of the crowd and you couldnt pick him any differant from the rest. Except!!!!!!!!! He arrived in his 27,000,000 Baht Lamborgini. Beautiful car and took a few photos as well. Hes doing great things for the community on a whole.

Over time, however, the team and the foundation agreed that the team would need a stadium, and that to sustain itself financially the team would have to stop playing and come to run the stadium instead.

This doesn't really make sense to me, unless I am reading it wrong ?

I noticed Count G perusing this topic last night and wisely refraining from comment. In some ways his life must be difficult with all the sycophants on the one hand and all the critics on the other. In the end it is his money, his life and within certain limits, it is his to do with as he wishes.

It is easy for us to sit back and reflect on how we would do things differently, knowing little or nothing of his life, and running little risk of having to backup our claims. I find it interesting that Chiang Rai attracts, for at least part of the year, a wide variety of individuals all of whom bring something different to this place many of us call home.

never heard of this guy and you cannot find anything of him on google ?

Plenty on google and if you are a Stella Artois drinker you should have heard of him ;-)

http://www.thailandtatler.com/gerald-van-der-straten-ponthoz/

http://www.insiithaihouse.com/Foundation_launch_1.htm

I heard he's even been known to post on thaivisa now and then too.

...or Leffe, Hoegaerden...