When I was in Bangkok a couple of weeks ago, I studied the schedule for the Thai Premier League and discovered that a game was being played only two train stops away from my hotel.

Needless to say I went and checked it out.

My destination was PAT Stadium, which is a compact venue that holds far less than 10,000 spectators – possibly closer to 5,000 – so it doesn’t take much to fill the place up and create a loud and vibrant atmosphere.

The local team here is Port FC, based in Bangkok’s port district, who are a reasonably successful side and currently sit around 3rd or 4th place on the league table.

Outside the venue there were dozens of food vendors set up, and the beer sellers were doing a roaring trade. In fact, I observed that hundreds of people were in no hurry to catch the kick-off, as they were still sitting around outside the ground enjoying their drinks well after the game had commenced.

I also noted that even more folks left their seats just before half-time to resume their drinking session outside, which was a shame because in doing so they missed their team score a goal.

There was a great merchandise shop at the ground as well, and it was obvious that the club jerseys were a highly-sought-after item as almost everyone was wearing one.

The game itself was an entertaining affair, with Port FC fighting back from 3-1 down against Ratchaburi to salvage a 3-3 draw.

In my honest opinion, the standard of the competition is well below that of the A-League here in Australia (recent results in the Asian Champions League might suggest otherwise), but there was enough speed and individual skill on show to satisfy any football fan. The VAR was a real mess however, and was constantly stopping the game and taking ages to come up with a decision – not helped by the linesman (assistant referee) nearest to where I was sitting who didn’t have the best of games.

If I had to give my experience a score out of ten, it would be no lower than 9. This was an enjoyable night out; the crowd and atmosphere were brilliant, the fans were friendly and welcoming, and there was a ton of well-priced food and beverages available.

In fact, I liked it so much that I will make an effort to come back and watch another game next time I am in Bangkok.

“A feast of football!” as the late, great Les Murray would say.

I did create a short video of my experience – the link is below.