2017 Bhutan National League

Last updated
Bhutan National League
Season2017
Champions Transport United
RelegatedNone
AFC Cup Transport United
Matches played30
Goals scored178 (5.93 per match)
Top goalscorer Chencho Gyeltshen
(22 goals)
Biggest home win Thimphu City 13–0 Phuentsholing City,
Thimphu City 13–0 Paro United
Biggest away win Phuentsholing City 0–13 Transport United
Highest scoring Paro United 13–2 Phuentsholing City
2016
2018

The 2017 Bhutan National League was the sixth season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the Thimphu League provides the qualifiers from Thimphu, with the top three teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside three regional teams.

Contents

Thimphu League

Format and rules

The Thimphu League is a regional competition for teams from Thimphu. the competition consists of nine teams, each plays the others twice – home and away – for a total of 16 games each, over 18 game weeks. 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. The league table is decided firstly on points won, then on goal difference and finally on total goals scored if the previous two are equal. The first three teams automatically qualify for the National league, the bottom two teams compete in relegation playoffs with the top two teams from the B-Division for two places in the next seasons's competition. [1]

Competing clubs

Season summary

The 2017 season of the Thimphu League, previously called the Bhutan A-Division, started on 4 February 2017 and is due to end on 8 July. [2] Thimphu City are defending champions [3] and the competition has been expanded to 9 teams in 2017 with the addition of High Quality United, Bhutan U19 and the return of Transport United following the relegation of Tensung and Bhutan U17. On July 1, 2017, Druk Pol F.C. was suspended for 2 years after some of its players mishandled and disobeyed the referee during a match on June 29. [4] [3]

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification or relegation
1 Thimphu City 1413107010+60402017 Bhutan National League
2 Transport United 1410224312+3132
3 Thimphu 148243822+1626
4 Druk Stars 147163234222
5 High Quality United 146173736+119
6 Bhutan U19 143382828012
7 Druk United 1432921442311Relegation
8 Terton 1400141396830
9 Druk Pol [4] 00000000
Updated to match(es) played on 8 August 2017. Source: [2]
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Results

Home \ Away BHU POL STA UTD HQU TER THI CIT TPU
Bhutan U-19s 0–13–00–011–22–20–50–1
Druk Pol [lower-alpha 1]
Druk Stars 4–22–23–17–11–21–31–2
Druk United 2–21–32–12–10–22–71–4
High Quality United 2–13–43–18–21–22–63–1
Tertons 0–62–31–61–70–91–70–7
Thimphu 2–13–27–02–35–11–51–1
Thimphu City 4–06–03–27–112–02–00–0
Transport United 3–06–05–04–26–13–00–3
Updated to match(es) played on 27 September 2017. Source: [2]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Notes:
  1. Suspended [4]

Note 1: The notion of home and away fixtures in the A-Division is moot as all games are played at Changlimithang Stadium. As such, for the purpose of this table, the first result chronologically has been deemed that team's "home" game and the second the "away" game.

National League

League table

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification
1 Transport United (C)109103711+2628 2018 AFC Cup preliminary round
2 Thimphu City 107214812+3623
3 Ugyen Academy 105143210+2216
4 Thimphu 104152518+713
5 Paro United 10217293677
6 Phuentsholing City 100010791840
Source: FIFA Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 6) number of goals scored
(C) Champions

Related Research Articles

The 2001 season of the Bhutanese A-Division was the seventh recorded season of top-flight football in Bhutan. The league was won by Druk Star, their first title and the first time a Bhutanese team other than Druk Pol had won in the last six years. The league was preceded by a qualifying tournament known as the Thimpu League. Qualifiers from this league joined other teams in a round robin group stage to determine the four teams who would proceed to the knock out stage.

The 2007 season of the Bhutanese A-Division was the thirteenth recorded season of top-flight football in Bhutan. The league was won by Transport United, their fourth title in a row and only the second time a team had achieved such a feat since Druk Pol won their fourth title in a row in 1999.

The 2008 season of the Bhutanese A-Division was the fourteenth recorded season of top-flight football in Bhutan. The league was won by Yeedzin FC, their first ever title, and the first time a team other than Transport United had won the league in five years. Yeedzin qualified as Bhutan's representative in the 2009 AFC President's Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeedzin FC</span> Association football club in Bhutan

Yeedzin Football Club was a football club from Thimphu, Bhutan. Founded in 2002, they were promoted from the B-Division to the A-Division in the same year. They won their first A-Division title in 2008 and have won a total of four A-Division championships. They also qualified for the National League in 2012 and 2013, winning the inaugural national competition in 2012. They have been Bhutan's representative in the AFC President's Cup on four occasions, and lost all of their twelve games played in the competition with a goal difference of –75.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druk Stars FC</span> Association football club in Bhutan

Druk Stars FC, sometimes referred to as Druk Star FC, was a Bhutanese football club from Thimphu. The team have won the national championship twice and competed in the A-Division from 2002, when they won their first title, through to 2010, having won a second title in 2009. They were absent from the A-Division in 2011, but played and won the 2012 B-Division. Returning to the top flight, they qualified for the National League for the first time in 2014. In addition to their two A-Division and one B-Division title, they have also represented Bhutan in the AFC President's Cup in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drukpol FC</span> Bhutanese football club

Drukpol FC, sometimes referred to as Druk Pol FC, was a football club from Thimphu, Bhutan. Until 1996, the team was called Royal Bhutan Police FC. Drukpol FC has won the A-Division championship a record eight times, more than any other team in Bhutan. The team's home ground was Changlimithang Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in Bhutan</span>

Football is a sport with a comparatively brief history in Bhutan, having had an initial period of favour in the mid-twentieth century, when it was first introduced to the country by visiting teachers from India and Europe. It has only achieved significantly renewed popularity in the early 2000s, following the advent of satellite television broadcasting, with historically national sport being archery. Consequently, the domestic game was underdeveloped. After the establishment of an initial league in the late 1980s, little in the way of recorded competition took place until the mid-1990s when a formal championship, the A-Division, was created. Football became the most popular sport in Bhutan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thimphu City FC</span> Association football club in Bhutan

Thimphu City FC is a Bhutanese professional football club based in Thimphu that competes in the Bhutan Premier League, the top level of football in Bhutan. Founded in 2012, they qualified for the inaugural Bhutan National League in the same year. Formerly known as Zimdra FC, the club was refounded as Thimphu City FC in 2012 and again qualified for the 2013 Bhutan National League, finishing second behind eventual winners Yeedzin. They have won the Thimphu League and the first National League title in 2016. They also have a futsal section.

Nangpa Football Club was a football club from Thimphu, Bhutan, who played in the A Division between 2010 and 2012. They are one of the least successful teams to have played top-flight football in Bhutan, finishing last in each of the three seasons in which they competed.

The 2012–13 Bhutan National League was the first season of the Bhutan National League. It was organized by the Bhutan Football Federation and sponsored by Coca-Cola. The National League replaced the A-Division as the country's premier football competition and would provide Bhutan's entrant to the 2013 AFC President's Cup. the A-Division continues as a football competition, but is now merely a qualifying round for Thimpu-based teams. The top three teams in the A-Division progressed to the national league where they were joined by three other teams representing other districts within Bhutan. The A-Division was won by Druk Pol, but were beaten to the national title by fellow A-Division competitors Yeedzin who won the inaugural competition, their fifth top flight title overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druk United FC</span> Association football club in Bhutan

Druk United FC was a Bhutanese football club from Thimphu and based at the Changlimithang Stadium, which played in the Bhutan Premier League, the top division of Bhutanese football.

Choden was a football club from Bhutan, based at Changlimithang, consisting of players from the U-19 Bhutan national team, who played in the Bhutan A-Division, then the top level of football in Bhutan, but since replaced by a full national league. They finished fifth in the 2011 season, the last season where the A-Division was the top flight. Although they were not formally relegated at the end of the 2011 season, they do not appear to have taken part either in the 2012 A-Division, nor consequently the 2012–13 Bhutan National League.

The 2013 Bhutan National League started on 14 September 2013 and ended on 23 November 2013 and was the second time that a true national league competition was held in Bhutan, following from the inaugural season the previous year. Again the A-Division served as a qualifying round for teams based in Thimpu, who were then joined by regional teams for the national stage. Yeedzin won the A-Division, but were beaten into second place in the National League by Ugyen Academy.

The 2014 Bhutan National League was the third season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the A-Division provided the qualifiers, with the top four teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside regional teams. The league was sponsored by Coca-Cola. Druk United won the Championship on goal difference from Ugyen Academy and, as a result of the abolition of the AFC President's Cup, will be the first team from Bhutan to take part in the AFC Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chencho Gyeltshen</span> Bhutanese footballer (born 1996)

Chencho Gyeltshen is a Bhutanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga 2 club Sriwijaya and captains the Bhutan national team. Gyeltshen is the all-time leading international goalscorer for Bhutan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhutan Clearing FC</span> Bhutanese football club

Bhutan Clearing were an Association football club from Phuentsholing, Bhutan, which competed in the Bhutan National League, the top flight of football in Bhutan.

The 2015 Bhutan National League was the fourth season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the A-Division provided the qualifiers, with the top three teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside three regional teams. The league was sponsored by the Bank of Bhutan.

The 2016 Bhutan National League was the fifth season of the national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the Thimphu League provides the qualifiers from Thimphu, with the top three teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside three regional teams.

The 2017 AFC Cup qualifying round was played from 19 to 25 August 2016. A total of nine teams competed in the qualifying round to decide three places in the qualifying play-offs of the 2017 AFC Cup.

The 2018 Bhutan National League was the seventh season of the Bhutan National League, the national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division in 2013. Again, the Thimphu League provides the qualifiers from Thimphu, with the top three teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside three regional teams.

References

  1. "Thimphu League – 2017 Rules". scoresway.com. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Thimphu League". soccerway.com. Perfrorm Group. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 Stokkermans, Karel (15 February 2017). "Bhutan 2016". RSSSF . Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation . Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "BFF suspends Drukpol FC for two years". www.kuenselonline.com. 1 July 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2017.