[The Only Way Is Up]

Around 8,000 kids and their parents attended a friendly game near here in the North East of Thailand as part of the Children's Day celebrations last January.

Every attendee (children and adults alike) were handed a paper ticket strip of 5 numbers, each of which could win a prize at the half-time draw. Each ticket strip was torn from a book where the numbers were sequential, and - as pagl suggests - the start and end numbers from each book were entered into a PC/Laptop. Winning numbers were electronically selected at random, and shown on a big screen at one end of the ground. It was a much anticipated part of the event by the crowd - with many winning tickets being drawn.

The prize-winners walked around the pitch perimeter to the accompaniment of music, and then up the half way line to the centre circle where they were handed their prizes by the club's chairman and his wife and the sponsors of the event (a brewery, which some may think was inappropriate as the winners were mostly children.) It has been held in the same way for several years and is recognised as being a part of what attracts such a good crowd in a town of just 27,150 (their catchment area is similar to Wrexham's, mainly rural now.) The ground is newish, opened in 2011 and expanded in 2014.

Buriram Stadium, known for sponsorship purposes as Chang Arena is a 32,600-seat football stadium which is the home of Thailand's 2011, 2013, and 2015 treble champions, Buriram United, who won the Premier League again in 2018. Chang Arena is the largest club-owned football stadium in Thailand. Its nickname is "Thunder Castle", the fifth castle of Buriram Province.

The club and the facility is the brainchild of Mr Newin Chidchob, a businessman and former politician. Much of the industry here is farming based on rice growing. The economy is extremely poor, but the club's owner was determined to make Buriram a successful oasis in a rather barren area. His endeavours have paid dividends to the area, attracting many new businesses including many hotels and restaurants. Those were all full to overcapacity during the past few days, when the racing circuit (another of Mr Newin's innovations) held the Moto GP world championship round. The circuit is licenced for F1 racing too - and it is only a matter of time before that arrives.

Strangely, people said that his endeavours would never work... He's proved them all to be wrong. He has the will to succeed, and the determination to see it through.

He, and the community now, are proud of Buriram's successes on and off the pitch. It is something within Wrexham's grasp too if people will believe in the club and in the town and stop running the place down. Lessons to be learnt!