Thai Port

Thai Port

Kor (ก) Royal Cup Winners: 1968, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1985, 1990

Thai Premier League Runners-up: 1999

FA Cup Winners: 2009

League Cup Winners: 2010; Runners-up: 2011

Asian Club Championship: Qualifying Stage 1987; Group Stage 1992

AFC Cup Quarterfinal: 2010

Queen’s Cup Winners: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980

Port Authority enjoyed success almost immediately after their formation, and won plenty of cups in the 1960s and 1970s. They were part of the inaugural Thai League in 1996, and were often a top-5 team. When the TPL adopted AFC rules regarding club ownership in 2009, the Thai Port FC company was formed. This co-incided with the boom in popularity of the Thai League, and within 2 years the Port Authority had wrested back control of the club. This led to numerous boardroom and sponsor conflicts, which saw players and staff go lengthy periods unpaid, and key players (and a coach) sold to keep the club afloat. The owners also dragged their feet on improving the floodlights to allow matches to kick off at 6pm (in line with the rest of the league) which resulted in falling attendances. Despite plucky performances in 2010 and 2011, including 2 League Cup Final appearances, the off-field wrangling finally took its toll, and Port were relegated for the first time at the end of 2012. Ironically, the floodlight upgrade was finally completed as their 2013 League 1 campaign as Singh Tarua began.