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The Bhutan national football team represents Bhutan in men's international football. The team is controlled by the governing body for football in Bhutan, the Bhutan Football Federation, which is a member of the Asian Football Federation and the regional body the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The national football team of Bhutan play their home games at the national stadium, Changlimithang.
Changlimithang Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, which serves as the national stadium. It is predominantly used for football matches and is the home of the Bhutan national football team, other national selections and number of Thimphu-based football clubs. The stadium also regularly plays host to women's football, archery tournaments, minifootball and some volleyball matches. The stadium was initially constructed in 1974 for the coronation of the fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck, but was completely refurbished in 2007 in advance of the coronation of the fifth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Floodlighting was added to the football pitch in 2009 and an evergreen turf was laid in 2012, to coincide with the start of the first season of the National League. Located 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, the stadium is one of the highest in the world. It has raised numerous controversies in footballing circles, as its significant altitude affects the absorption of oxygen in the human body, offering considerable advantage to the home teams who are more accustomed to such conditions.
The Bhutan Football Federation is the governing body of football in Bhutan, controlling Bhutan national football team, Bhutan women's national football team and Bhutan national futsal team. It is also responsible for organising Bhutan Premier League, BPL Qualifiers, Dzongkhag (District) leagues, Women's National League, National Futsal – Minifootball league, as well as various youth and recreational tournaments.
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 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is the top tier of the Bangladeshi professional football league pyramid. It is run by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). The Dhaka Derby between Abahani Dhaka and Mohammedan SC is one of the league's most popular matches. The BPL superseded the Dhaka Premier Division League which had functioned as the top tier from 1948 to 2006.
Football is currently the second-most popular sport in Bangladesh, after cricket, and is governed by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF). An interest in cricket resulting from the nation's success in Test cricket and participation in the Cricket World Cup overshadowed the past fame in the nation's football legacy. However, more football tournaments are being organized in and outside Dhaka than of any other sports, and football fever grips the nation during every FIFA World Cup as well as Copa America and UEFA European Championship. Federation officials and experts are still hopeful about the development of football in the country within the next ten years despite huge financial obstacles, inadequate technical adaptation and lack of professionalism.
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.
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.
Sports in Bhutan comprise both traditional Bhutanese and modern international games. Archery is the national sport in Bhutan. Competitions are held regularly in most villages. Other traditional Bhutanese sports include khuru, soksom, pundo and digor.
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 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 Cup.
The 2013 King's Cup is a football tournament that took place from 20 July to 10 August 2013. The tournament was held in Thimphu, Bhutan at the Changlimithang Stadium.
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 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League was the 11th season of the Bangladesh Premier League since its establishment in 2007. A total of 13 football clubs competed in the league. Dhaka Abahani were the defending champions. Bashundhara Kings and NoFeL Sporting Club were entered as the promoted teams from the 2017 Bangladesh Championship League. The league was delayed and was rescheduled to start from 18 January 2019. Six venues hosted the matches.
The 2018 SAFF U-15 Women's Championship was the 2nd 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 Bhutan from 9–18 of August, 2018 at Changlimithang Stadium. Six teams from the region took part.
The 2018 SAFF U-18 Women's Championship was the first edition of the SAFF U-18 Women's Championship, an international football competition for women's under-18 national teams organized by SAFF. The tournament was hosted from 28 September – 7 October 2018 at Changlimithang Stadium. Six teams from the region took part.
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 Bhutan men's national volleyball team represents Bhutan in international volleyball competitions. It is managed by the Bhutan Volleyball Federation.
References
- ↑ "BFF to implement new league structure". Kuensel. 2 January 2019.
- ↑ "Bhutan Super League 2020 begins". Kuensel. 10 February 2020.
- ↑ "Bhutan Football Federation on Facebook". Facebook . Archived from the original on 2022-04-26.[ user-generated source ]
- ↑ "Bhutan Premier League to begin today". Kuensel. 1 August 2020.
- ↑ "BOB Bhutan Premier League - BOB Bhutan Premier League matches will be suspended until [sic] further notice due to lockdown. #stayhome #staysafe #savelives | Facebook". www.facebook.com.
- ↑ "Bhutan Premier League resumes from tomorrow". Kuensel. 16 September 2020.
- ↑ "Bhutan Premier League to begin from August". Kuensel. 27 June 2020.
- ↑ "No foreign players this season in the Bhutan Premier League". Kuensel. 3 July 2020.