The Bhutan Super League, previously known as the Thimphu League and Bhutan A-Division, was the men's football league in Bhutan. Until 2012, it was the lone national top division. Between 2013 and 2020, it was played as the second division and the qualifier for the Bhutan Premier League.
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.
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.
Druk Stars Football Club, sometimes referred to as Druk Star, 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.
Drukpol Football Club, sometimes referred to as Druk Pol, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Bhutan Premier League, currently known as the Bank of Bhutan Premier League due to sponsorship reasons, is the men's highest division of professional football in Bhutan. It also provides Bhutan's entrant for continental competition, the AFC Challenge League.
Bhutan Clearing Football Club was a 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 SAFF U-18 Championship was the 2nd edition of the SAFF U-18 Championship, an international football competition for men's under-18 national teams organized by SAFF. But since most teams use to send their U-18 team keeping in mind 2018 AFC U-19 Championship qualification it has been officially changed to U-18 tournament. The tournament was hosted by Bhutan 18–27 September 2017.
Statistics of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) in season 2017–18.
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.
The Football NSW 2019 season was the seventh season of football in New South Wales under the banner of the National Premier Leagues. The competition consists of four divisions across the state of New South Wales.
The 2019 Bhutan Premier League was the eighth season of unified league, rebranded as the Bhutan Premier League, the top national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division in 2013.
The 2019 SAFF U-15 Women's Championship was the 3rd edition of the SAFF U-15 Women's Championship, an international football competition for women's under-15 national teams organized by SAFF. The tournament was hosted by Thimpu, Bhutan from 9 October to 15 October 2019. Four teams from the region will take part.
Sanatan Karmakar
