Suphanburi F.C.
Suphanburi Football Club () is a Thai professional football club based in Suphan Buri Province. The club competes in the Thai League 1, the top tier of Thai football. Their home stadium is Suphan Buri Provincial Stadium. Club history. Founded in 1998, Suphanburi Football Club became members of the Thailand Provincial League which ran parallel to the Thai League and was overseen by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). In the league's inaugural year of 1999, the club finished as runners up. Overall, Suphanburi was one of the most successful teams in the Pro League. They won the  league title twice (2002 and 2004) and were also runners up on three occasions. League history. In 2005 the club finished as runners up in the Thai league and were promoted to the Thai Premier League alongside champions Chonburi, Suphanburi became the first provincial club to join the TPL. However, the clubs moved in very different directions over the subsequent years. Due to a league expansion, Suphanburi avoided relegation. However, a year later Chonburi became champions whilst Suphanburi were relegated. In the following season, Suphanburi finished mid-table in Division 1 and never looked like challenging for promotion. They were  relegated from the Thai Division 1 League in 2010. A late decision to expand the 1st division allowed them to regain their 1st division status if they could beat Saraburi FC in a two-legged play-off. The War Elephant won 3–2 on aggregate to retain their place in Division 1. In 2012 the club's first success was a runners-up spot in Division 1 and the team were promoted back into the Thai Premier League. For the 2013 season, few people saw Suphanburi as serious contenders for honours. However, after starting the season with a seven-match unbeaten  run, they eventually finished fourth, losing only nine times in their thirty-two game campaign. Academy development. The Under 19 team under the guidance of Nigerian coach Sakiru Fagbohun, known as "Coach Ken", reached the final of the 2014 Coke Cup, where they narrowly lost 2–1 to three-time champions Buriram United, this achievement was remarked greatly as Suphanburi Fc u19 defied the odds and challenged the three-time champions competitively. The club have embarked on an ambitious six-year plan to create teams from Under 13 to Under 18, starting with a new intake of Under 13 players each  year. The young players will be based at the Institute of Physical Education, which is next door to the main stadium. In 2016 Suphanburi Football Academy signed a formal partnership with Borussia Dortmund for three years. In this partnership, Borussia Dortmund will be sending world-class coaches to the youth training center in Kanchanapisekwittayalai Suphanburi school, as well as a coach to train the Thai coach. Players. First-team squad. Below is a list of players playing for Suphanburi as the official website confirms. Head coaches history. Coaches by years (2012–present) Suphanburi qualified to 2016 AFC Champion League Preliminary  Round 2 by finishing third place in 2015 Thai Premier League and Buriram United F.C. winning 2015 Thai FA Cup. However, Suphanburi was not able to play in the competition because they did not meet the AFC Club licensing criteria. Chonburi replaced them in the continental spot.