Football fans in Thailand are no longer only interested in English giants such as Manchester United and Liverpool _ the domestic game is also growing in popularity.
FBT’s Bangkok factory makes 12,000 balls per day along with boxing gloves, petong balls, rackets, shoes and other equipment.
The Thai Premier League match between Songkhla and Buriram last year attracted a record 36,715 spectators. Nearly 1.4 million spectators went through the league's turnstiles for the entire year, with ticket sales amounting to 100.6 million baht.
The figures might not seem much compared with major foreign leagues, but the promising trend has helped to promote sports and related businesses, mainly apparel and accessories, goods and equipment.
Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co (FBT) has enjoyed two-digit sales growth in recent years, with revenue expected to reach 1.2 billion baht by the end of this year.
The 60-year-old business began when founder Kamol Chokephaibulkit applied his needlework skills to repair footballs imported mainly from Germany.
A few years later, he decided to make leather footballs for sale at local department stores such as Nightingale-Olympic, Eagle, Union Sport and Malinee.
In 1950, Mr Kamol was sewing 2-3 footballs a day manually. Today, his factory in Bangkok's Nong Chok district produces 12,000 balls per day.
FBT's 62-rai factory also makes boxing gloves, petong balls, rackets, shoes and other equipment.
Kamol: Founded firm 60 years ago
FBT was set up in 1952. "We gave Thais the chance to play with leather balls instead of coconut ones," said Mr Kamol, now 82.
The good quality of its products earned the company a job to produce balls for a German firm under an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) contract.
"FBT engaged in much OEM for its first 30 years in business. After that, we perceived that we had the capacity to build our own brand," said deputy managing director Montri Chokephaibulkit.
The FBT trademark is used mainly for sportswear, while Five Star and Gold Star are its strong ball brands.
"The quality of balls must meet the standards of competent federations," said Mr Montri. The balls must match criteria set by the Federation of International Football Associations, the Federation of International Volleyball and the International Basketball Federation. Approval from these federations is for limited lots before a new appraisal.
About 70% of FBT's balls are exported to 11 countries. The firm also produces 25,000 pieces of sportswear a day, of which 95% are under the FBT brand and the balance for original equipment manufacturing contracts.
FBT and Grand Sport Group are market leaders and rivals in similar fashion to Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Mr Montri said. But they are facing the challenge of low-priced products from small brands and competitive goods from China.
"To expand sales is to promote people to play more sports, so we have put much effort into supporting events and sponsoring teams," Mr Montri said.
The contribution includes providing sportswear and equipment for athletes to use in games, which is an effective way to advertise its brand. "Since we do not have advertising costs or pay for popular presenters to promote the brand, the budget can be allocated for sponsorship of games," he said.
Each year, FBT spends 120-150 million baht on sponsoring games and teams, especially in Division 2 of Thailand's football league. It sponsors 20 of the division's 81 teams. "We used to be a leading contributor to the Thai Premier League. After the league became more popular, several international brands such as Nike emerged and wanted to be core sponsors," Mr Montri said.
This allowed FBT to extend the focus to other markets such as Division 2.
"This market is mass, and encouraging kids to play sports is one good method to improve the economy of grass-roots people," Mr Montri said.
Football can be a rewarding career. A monthly income of 10,000 to 15,000 baht is certain for regular players in Division 2, but they are paid extra for appearances or wins.
Some professional players in the top tier earn as much as 350,000 baht a month, bringing a significant change in attitude towards the sport among parents.
FBT also contributes to the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from 11 countries.
The firm has supported the organising committee for the last 10 games by providing not only high-quality sportswear and equipment but also knowledge to manage the event.
It expects to have the same role at the 27th SEA Games in Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar next year.
Live broadcasts of international tournaments have increased the popularity of sports. "People still rush to buy bigger TVs whenever there is a big tournament," Mr Montri said.
