Full name | Football Club Terton | ||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | 2014 | ||
Ground | Changlimithang Stadium | ||
Capacity | 15,000 | ||
FC Terton (also known as FC Tertons or Terton FC) was a Bhutanese football club based in Thimphu which most recently competed in the 2022 Bhutan Premier League Qualifiers. In 2015, they became Bhutan's national champions for the first and only time, and subsequently represented the country in the AFC Cup.
Terton made their debut in the 2015 Thimphu League, which they won by three points from Thimphu, collecting the Nu 400,000 first prize and qualifying for the 2015 Bhutan National League. During their inaugural season in the Thimphu League, they lost only twice; a 5–3 defeat to Druk Star and a 3–1 loss to eventual runners-up Thimphu. [1] They were equally successful in their debut season in the National League, beating Thimphu City 4–2 in the final game to confirm the championship, collecting the Nu 10 million first place prize and qualifying for the 2017 AFC Cup. [2]
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 a 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 King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, but was completely refurbished in 2007 in advance of the coronation of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Floodlights were added to the football pitch in 2009 and an evergreen turf 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.
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.
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.
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