Some notes about today’s Thai FA meeting – especially relevant for the T3 structure.
TV rights for T1 and T2 will need a further 12 days to negotiate.
Kasetsart FC will replace CMFC in T2. Kasetsart, with an average home crowd of 336 last season, significant player payment issues and who infamously requested to pull out of T2 some five weeks before the end of last season until bailed out by the League.
It is bizarre how one of the worst managed clubs in T2 is able to survive in T2 while one of the biggest names in T2, and a club that in 2019 was playing in T1 is now battling to confirm a position in T3.
T2 starts in one month.
On CMFC the FA is waiting for confirmation that all outstanding debts have been cleared. More on that later as the process becomes clearer.
There are some changes in the structure and format of T3.
There will again be six zones; this year these are divided into North Zone, Northeast Zone, Central Zone, Eastern Zone, Western Zone and Southern Zone.
The Bangkok based teams will be merged into either the central zone or the western zone.
The number of teams in each zone is set a minimum of 11 teams.
This can mean that every match day there is one team sitting idle.
In case there are not eleven teams in each region who have been licensed for the league then a reserve team may be added that has passed club licensing.
The intent is that Thai League 3 will have between 67-69 teams.
Remember only three can be promoted to T2.
Krabi FC, relegated from T2 last season, have reportedly withdrawn from the League. This is sad. It was one of the best, and longest, away trips. It is a sign of the times that one of the most visited Thai provinces, with a big influx of foreign money and tourism cannot support a T3 team.
Thai League 2 will start the weekend of 14 September 2024. The regular season ends on the weekend of 30 March 2025 before Songkran. The T3 Champions League is to be played over ten weeks from 19 April until 22 June 2025. Six weekends for the Championship League Games and four weekends for the home and away finals.
There will be a mid season T3 league break when the T3 Cup games will commence. Last year this was the BCG/Muang Thai Insurance Cup. MaeJo United made the final last season losing to Phatthalung at BG Stadium. The first round will be held on the weekend of November 30, 2024 with the Cup final to be played in early April (before the Champions League round).
The T3 Champions League round how has a new format.
The winners and runners up from the six regional leagues will be divided into three groups of four teams per group. Previously this was two leagues of 6 teams each playing eachother one time.
They will play home and away – an additional six games.
WInning your champions group is no longer a guarantee of promotion. The three group winners and the best 2nd place team will play semifinals, a final and a 3rd/4th place final for the promotion places.
Of course there is still time for multiple changes!