The Chula–Thammasat or Thammasat–Chula Traditional Football Match (the name alternating, with the host's appearing first) is a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

match between

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...

and

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

. It is held annually, usually in January, at the

Suphachalasai Stadium The Suphachalasai Stadium () is a sports stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, part of the National Stadium complex. History The stadium construction started in 1937 in the original area of Thai Windsor Palace that demolished in 1935. The Department ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Apart from the match itself (which is not played by strictly

varsity team A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At high schools ...

s, but include alumni), the event also focuses on

card stunt Card stunts are a planned, coordinated sequence of actions performed by an audience, whose members raise cards that, in the aggregate, create a recognizable image. The images they create can range widely and, through careful planning, the same ...

s performed by both sides' audiences, cheerleading, and the opening ceremony

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

s, of which Thammasat's politics-mocking sequence is an anticipated highlight. The event is regularly broadcast on national television.

History

The match was started in 1934 by alumni of

Suankularb Wittayalai School Suankularb Wittayalai School (โรงเรียนสวนกุหลาบวิทยาลัย; Abbreviation: ส.ก. / S.K.) (also known as Suankularb College) literally ''Rose Garden College'' is an all-boys secondary school for g ...

who were studying at both universities, intending it to be a

varsity match A varsity match in Britain and Ireland is a fixture, especially of a sporting event or team, between university teams, usually the highest-level team, or varsity team, in that sport. The University Match in cricket between Oxford University an ...

in the likes of the British Oxford–Cambridge

Boat Race The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the Uni ...

. The first match was held on 4 December 1934 at the

Sanam Luang Sanam Luang (, ; ), officially Thong Sanam Luang (), is a open field and public square in front of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand. Sanam Luang is in the Phra Nakhon District, the historic center of Bangkok. In the ''Roy ...

field, with Thammasat University as the host. There was a ticket fee of 1

baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

, the proceedings of which went to the Anti-tuberculosis Society of Thailand; after-expense earnings from the match have since traditionally been donated to charity. The two universities alternate roles as hosts. From 1935 to 1937 the match was held at the Suankularb Wittayalai School football field, and since 1938 has been held at

(also known as the National Stadium), except in 1985, 1986, 1988 and 2008 when the match was held at the

Chulalongkorn University Stadium The Chulalongkorn University Stadium, formerly Charusathian Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium owned by Chulalongkorn University in Pathumwan, Bangkok, Thailand. It is on Chulalongkorn Soi 9 in Pathumwan in the centre of Bangkok and holds 20,00 ...

. Starting in 1949, the Royal Cup has been awarded for the match. The match has been cancelled several times, due to the flooding of Bangkok in 1942,

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and its aftermath from 1944–1948, the

Manhattan Rebellion The Manhattan Rebellion () was a failed coup attempt by officers of the Royal Thai Navy against the government of Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) on 29–30 June 1951. They took the prime minister hostage during a handover ceremon ...

in 1951, the aftermath of the

14 October 1973 uprising The popular uprising of 14 October 1973 (, , ; also , , ) was a watershed event in Thailand's History of Thailand, history. The uprising resulted in the end of the ruling military dictatorship of anti-communist Thanom Kittikachorn and altered the ...

and the

6 October 1976 massacre The 6 October 1976 massacre, also known as the 6 October event ( ) in Thailand, was a violent crackdown by Thai police and lynching by right-wing paramilitaries and bystanders against leftist protesters who had occupied Bangkok's Thammasat Un ...

in 1973–1975 and 1977,

political crisis A cabinet crisis, government crisis or political crisis refers to a situation where an incumbent government is unable to form or function, is toppled through an uprising, or collapses. Political crises may correspond with, cause or be caused by an ...

in 2014, and the

death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej Death is the end of life; the Irreversible process, irreversible cessation of all biological process, biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former o ...

in 2017. The latest match, the 74th, was hosted by Chulalongkorn University and took place on 8 February 2020.

Results

*Thammasat: 25 wins *Chulalongkorn: 18 wins *Draws: 32 ;Reason: Chulalongkorn win Thammasat win Draw

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chula-Thammasat Traditional Football Match Football cup competitions in Thailand Chulalongkorn University Thammasat University Recurring sporting events established in 1934 1934 establishments in Siam Student sport in Thailand Thai political satire

History

Results

See also

References