Backwater to boomtown: Buriram emerges as sporting paradise

By Coconuts Bangkok

 

Photo: Play Around/ YouTube

 

BURIRAM: -- A “godfather” of Thai politics is using cash and contacts to transform his once poor, forgotten rice-farming fiefdom into an unlikely sporting paradise, complete with a football stadium and racetrack set to host the MotoGP.

 

Newin Chidchob, a 58-year-old native son of Buriram in Thailand’s agrarian northeast, has enticed super-rich investors into his vision of a sports hub amid the rice fields.

 

The swaggering former MP has already delivered two venues that now dominate Buriram, a sleepy province whose 30,000 population could be seated more than three times over in them.

 

First, in 2011, came the imposing “Thunder Castle,” a mega millions football stadium purpose-built for leading Thai Premier League side Buriram United.

 

Full story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/backwater-boomtown-buriram-emerges-sporting-paradise/

 

-- © Copyright Coconuts Bangkok 2017-06-08

Would love a rich investor to do the same in my home province Khonkaen.

7 hours ago, nev said:

Would love a rich investor to do the same in my home province Khonkaen.

So what,s stopping you nev......word tells me your not without a bob or two

5 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The swaggering former MP has already delivered two venues that now dominate Buriram, a sleepy province whose 30,000 population could be seated more than three times over in them.

Try fact checking before publishing, the latest available data for Buriram indicates a population of 1.579 Million (2014).

 

The capacity of Thunder Castle is 24,000.

Looks good from the outside and the noise from the bikes on the racetrack while sitting outside the stadium was very inviting, but alas did not go in either.

11 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Try fact checking before publishing, the latest available data for Buriram indicates a population of 1.579 Million (2014).

 

The capacity of Thunder Castle is 24,000.

Could be some confusion with Mueang Buriram and Province Buriram, and also sometimes Mueang Buriram District.

4 minutes ago, maoro2013 said:

Could be some confusion with Mueang Buriram and Province Buriram, and also sometimes Mueang Buriram District.

Not so sure about that, as the latest data I can find indicates a population of Amphur Muang Buriram shows over 207,000.

13 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Try fact checking before publishing, the latest available data for Buriram indicates a population of 1.579 Million (2014).

 

The capacity of Thunder Castle is 24,000.

The stadium holds 32,600.

7 minutes ago, TEFLKrabi said:

The stadium holds 32,600.

I stand corrected, however, I feel my points in relation to fact checking remains valid.

I stand corrected, however, I feel my points in relation to fact checking remains valid.

Sure. The figure of 33,000 I think is just in the main town not the whole Amphur. (Tambon Buriram)


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10 minutes ago, TEFLKrabi said:

Sure. The figure of 33,000 I think is just in the main town not the whole Amphur. (Tambon Buriram)


Sent from my iPad using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Think you may be correct, Tambon Nai Muang is around 33K+.

But still sloppy reporting IMHO.

20 hours ago, BigBadGeordie said:

Try fact checking before publishing, the latest available data for Buriram indicates a population of 1.579 Million (2014).

 

The capacity of Thunder Castle is 24,000.

seating capacity of Thundercastle (Buriram FC)  is 33,600.   Population figures are spot on. A lot more development projects are on the planning board or are already  on the way.

A decent golf course would be nice

 

That's some shorttime.

 

 

 

 

20 minutes ago, Doiger said:

A decent golf course would be nice

it has been considered but it was deemed to not be profitable enough to justify the investment.

1 hour ago, treehouse_ monkey said:

it has been considered but it was deemed to not be profitable enough to justify the investment.

Let's just hope the army decide to spend a little bit on their course then like they have in surin