Chiangrai United F.C.
Chiangrai United Football Club (Thai : สโมสรฟุตบอล เชียงราย ยูไนเต็ด) is a professional association football club based in Chiang Rai Province. The club plays in the Thai League 1.
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Full name | Chiangrai United Football Club สโมสรฟุตบอล เชียงราย ยูไนเต็ด | |||
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Nickname(s) | The Beetles (กว่างโซ้งมหาภัย) | |||
Short name | CRUTD | |||
Founded | 2009 | |||
Ground | Singha Stadium Chiang Rai, Thailand | |||
Capacity | 11,354 | |||
President | Pawitsarat Tiyapairat | |||
Head Coach | Masami Taki | |||
League | Thai League 1 | |||
2019 | Thai League 1, 1st (champions) | |||
Website | Club website | |||
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The club is also known as The Beetles.
History
First years
In 2009, Chiangrai United joined the new Thai football setup and started at the 3rd level, 2009 Regional League Division 2 Northern Region. Chiangrai duly came out on top come to the end of the regular league season, thus claiming their first-ever championship and also crowned as the first-ever winners of the Regional League Northern Division.
On winning the championship, Chiangrai entered the 2009 Regional League Division 2, an end of season mini-league for all 5 Regional League Division 2 championship-winning teams, and finished as runners-up and promoted to Thai Division 1 League.
Second Division and League 1 Promotion
In 2010, the club finished 3rd in Thai Division 1 League and first-ever promoted to the top tier Thai League 1.
Chiangrai United opened its first youth academies in 2012.[1]
In 2016, Chiangrai United made a deal with Jarken Group[2] to the strong brand and initiating a holistic marketing strategy which included business development and strengthening management structures to promote a positive image of the Chiangrai United Sports Passions as a brand to make Chiangrai United become professional and sustainable. The strategy for this deal is to design to promote Chaing Rai United to become the big name club in Thailand.
2017 & 2018 – FA Cup winners
In 2017, the club continued to make agreements with sponsors to improve the club's professional image and attract Tanaboon Kesarat. They also secured players such as; Vander Luiz, Felipe Azevedo, Henrique Silva.[4]
Under Brazilian coach Alexandre Gama, The Beetles was victorious in the 2017 FA Cup Final with Bangkok United. This proved to be a case of redemption for Chiangrai as winning the first piece of silverware in club-history, three days after losing to Muangthong United in the League Cup final.[5]
In 2018, the club attracted Lee Yong-Rae and Bill.
Chiangrai defeated the 2017 Liga 1 runners-up Bali United 3–2 in a qualifying preliminary round 2 and losing the 2017 Chinese Super League to runners-up Shanghai SIPG 1–0 in a qualifying play-offs round for the AFC Champions League group stages.
In 2018 FA Cup Final, The Beetles weathered certain things Thai League 1 winners Buriram United could hurl at them at Supachalasai Stadium to record a 3–2 victory, a hat-trick by Bill.[6]
2019 – League 1 title
Chiangrai defeated the 2018 Myanmar National League champions Yangon United 3–1 in a qualifying preliminary round 2 and drew the 2018 J1 League runners-up Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a qualifying play-offs round for the AFC Champions League group stages; the match finished 0–0 after extra time, with Chiangrai losing the penalty shoot-out 4–3 at Hiroshima Big Arch.
In October 2019, after the announcement of the appointment of Ailton dos Santos Silva as the new head coach, The Beetles won the Thai League 1 for the first time.[8] Chiangrai United and Buriram United ended up with identical 58 points from 30 matches. However, they were declared the winners of the league on the basis of a better head-to-head record, Chiangrai held Buriram to a goalless draw away in the first leg in April then thrashed the northeastern giants 4 to nothing at home in July,[9] Chiangrai United is the third to win the top flight after Buriram and Muangthong since the country's premier tournament was revamped in 2009.
The side is commented to fare well in most big games, with compactness and discipline springing surprises. Instead of being burdened with keeping possession, they stifled opponents with a rehearsed repertoire of both defensive and pressing moves, topped off with lethal counter-attacks.[10]
Stadium

Main articles: Singha Stadium, Mae Fah Luang University Stadium
Chiangrai United's home ground is the United Stadium of Chiangrai, which has also been known as the Singha Stadium since July 2017 due to sponsorship commitments. The stadium is situated in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. The Singha Stadium is near Mae Fah Luang International Airport and has a capacity of 11, 354 people.
Locations by season
Coordinates | Location | Stadium | Capacity | Year |
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20°03′29″N 99°53′45″E | Chiang Rai | Mae Fah Luang University Stadium | 3,346 | 2009–2012 |
19°57′25″N 99°52′29″E | Chiang Rai | Singha Stadium | 11,354 | 2012–present |
Continental record
Season | Competition | Round | Club | Home | Away | Position |
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2018 | AFC Champions League | Preliminary round 2 | ![]() |
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Play-off round | ![]() |
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2019 | AFC Champions League | Preliminary round 2 | ![]() |
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Play-off round | ![]() |
(3–4 p) | ||||
2020 | AFC Champions League | Group stage | ![]() |
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Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
Season by season record
Season | League[11] | FA Cup | League Cup |
Thailand Champions Cup |
AFC Champions League |
Top scorer | |||||||||
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Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Name | Goals | |||||
2009 | DIV 2 Northern | 20 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 62 | 16 | 54 | 1st | – | – | – | – | Watcharakorn Klaitin | 19 |
RL | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 2nd | |||||||
2010 | DIV 1 | 30 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 44 | 32 | 53 | 3rd | R3 | R2 | – | – | Wasan Natasan | 13 |
2011 | TPL | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 47 | 52 | 44 | 10th | R4 | QF | – | – | Wasan Natasan | 18 |
2012 | TPL | 34 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 40 | 47 | 44 | 9th | SF | R3 | – | – | Nantawat Tansopa | 8 |
2013 | TPL | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 32 | 45 | 34 | 11th | QF | R3 | – | – | Leandro Assumpção | 9 |
2014 | TPL | 38 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 55 | 47 | 55 | 7th | SF | R4 | – | – | Renan Marques | 17 |
2015 | TPL | 34 | 12 | 8 | 14 | 42 | 57 | 44 | 9th | QF | R1 | – | – | Renan Marques | 10 |
2016 | TL | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 42 | 43 | 45 | 8th | R3 | R2 | – | – | Wellington Bruno | 10 |
2017 | T1 | 34 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 67 | 42 | 60 | 4th | W | RU | – | – | Felipe Azevedo | 18 |
2018 | T1 | 34 | 15 | 10 | 9 | 52 | 36 | 55 | 5th | W | W | W | PO | Bill | 9 |
2019 | T1 | 30 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 53 | 28 | 58 | 1st | QF | SF | RU | PO | Bill | 14 |
2020 | T1 | W | |||||||||||||
Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
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Season by season record for Chiangrai United B
Season | League | Top goalscorer | |||||||||
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Division | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | Pos | Name | Goals | |
2017 | T4 North | 24 | 3 | 3 | 18 | 18 | 68 | 9 | 9th | Siripong Inta Thitinun Chai-udom |
2 |
2018 | – | – | – | – | – | Suspended | – | – | – | – | – |
Players
First team squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Club officials
Position | Staff |
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Head Coach | ![]() |
Assistant managers | ![]() |
Fitness Coach | ![]() |
Goalkeeping Coach | ![]() |
Scout | ![]() |
Manager history
Sarith Wutchuay 2009 Thawatchai Damrong-Ongtrakul 2009 Apisit Imampai Dec 2009 – Feb 2010 Kajohn Punnaves Feb 2010 – May 2010 Rungsimun Songkrohtham May 2010 – July 2010 Stefano Cugurra Teco July 2010 – June 2013 Henk Wisman July 2013 – Sept 2013 Anurak Srikerd Sept 2013 – Oct 2013 Teerasak Po-on Nov 2013 – Nov 2016 Alexandre Gama Dec 2016 – Oct 2018 Jose Alves Borges Oct 2018 – Feb 2019 Ailton dos Santos Silva Feb 2019 – Nov 2019 Masami Taki Dec 2019 –
Honours
Domestic competitions
Cups
Treble
- Thai FA Cup, Thai League Cup and Thailand Champions Cup: 2018
References
- "การ์ตูนจุดกำเนิดเชียงรายยูไนเต็ต".
- "Fifth-ranked Chiangrai United in major revamp".
- "Report from goal.com". Chiangrai United vs Bangkok United. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
- "'เชียงราย' ทุ่ม 300 ล. มุ่งล่าแชมป์ลีก-บู๊เอเชียใน 5 ปี ค่าตัว 'ธนบูรณ์' ไม่ถึง 50 ล." Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- "Chiangrai see off Bangkok to win Thai FA Cup".
- "Chiang Rai United make it two with FA Cup win".
- "Match Play Chiangrai United Players". thaileague.co.th. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
- "เชียงรายแชมป์สมัยแรก ,สุพรรณบุรีร่วงทีมสุดท้าย : บทสรุปโตโยต้า ไทยลีก 2019".
- "ไอล์ตัน : "สกอร์ 4-0 เหนือบุรีรัมย์ คือประวัติศาสตร์ของเชียงราย"".
- "มิตติ ติยะไพรัช: เชียงราย ยูไนเต็ด ตัวตน ผู้คน และการเมือง".
- King, Ian; Schöggl, Hans & Stokkermans, Karel (20 March 2014). "Thailand – List of Champions". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 October 2014. Select link to season required from chronological list.