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Rajamangala National Stadium
( Ratchamangkhalakilasathan ), also known as Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, is the national stadium of Thailand and the home stadium for the Thailand national football team. Located in Khwaeng Hua Mak, Khet Bang kapi, Bangkok, it officially opened in 1998.
It was first used for the 1998 Asian Games in 1998. Since then, it has been used for many international matches and football tournaments. Most notably, for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Thai club sides have also used the stadium when playing in continental cup competitions. Krung Thai Bank FC ( now Bangkok Glass FC ) used it for AFC Champions League matches, and PEA FC and Chonburi FC have recently used it in the AFC Cup. Aside from football, it has been used for athletics, pop concerts and political rallies.
Rajamangala Stadium was designed by the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University. The main material used in construction was concrete and therefore, though the stadium is impressive and imposing, it could never be described as beautiful. However, it is undoubtedly dramatic. The stands rise and fall like a giant, exaggerated version of Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium. At each end are quite narrow tiers of seats but the tiers rise and rise as they move round the sides until they peak level with the half-way line. From an aesthetic point-of-view, the stadium is best viewed from a distance, preferably from the air, where the elliptical shape of the side tribunes seem particularly pronounced.
The aforementioned side tribunes are designated East and West. East is the uncovered popular side; West is the covered side where the more expensive seats are. The two ends are designated North and South. North is the more popular of the two. It's where the more vocal and colourful elements of the Thai support congregate.
The capacity of the stadium is 49,749. When the stadium first opened the capacity was 65,000. But plastic seats were installed on the North, South and East sides, where previously there had been bare concrete steps, in readiness for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.
The stadium is not served by public transport which has always been a source of frustration for fans. No Bangkok Sky trains, subway-trains or normal over ground trains stop near the stadium ( unlike at the Suphachalasai Stadium, which is served by the Sky train - National Stadium Station ). However, there are buses and taxis which pass close to the stadium. But in 2010 Suvarnabhumi Airport Link will be completed which means that the stadium will served by the City Line at - Ramkhamhaeng Station.
