Rangasala - Biplav Gautam's Nepal Sports Diary

Nepali players mentioned by Premier League club

2012-02-03T15:30:00.002+05:30

OK, so the the title is a bit deceiving :)

Aston Villa, my favorite club (cough, cough), posted a photo of Azad Pradhan, Kiran Limbu and Buddha Chemzong on their Facebook page. Here's the caption:

Villa donated a set of kits and other football equipments to Machhindra FC, a club based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The young goalkeeper in the center of the photo , Kiran Limbu, is now Nepal's 1st choice National Team Goalkeeper. The two other players Azad Pradhan (left) and Buddha Chemzong (right) play in Nepal's premier division. Looks like the Villa kits must have inspired the lads! Photo taken in 2006.

Nepal's football development in our hands

2012-01-28T12:05:00.004+05:30

Have you been to the official ANFA website (www.the-anfa.com) recently? No need to waste bandwidth visiting it, I can assure you - it is hopeless!

Photo: Gopal Chitrakar (Reuters)

However shoddy the ANFA website might be, no one is really complaining about it. Why? Because there are plenty of alternatives, like GoalNepal, that give us all the Nepali football news, results and multimedia we are looking for.

But imagine if there were no websites like GoalNepal. We would probably all be kicking and screaming about how ANFA is not doing its job, that ANFA has the wrong priorities, that ANFA does not care about the fans and that the Government of Nepal should donate a few laptops and servers to ANFA.

With GoalNepal and the many other up and coming Nepali football/sports websites, blogs and Facebook Pages out there – whether ANFA has a good or bad website really is inconsequential. The Nepali football information we desire is easily accessible anyway.

Nepal’s Internet sports information boom proves that not everything needs to start from the top. The Government of Nepal (GON), National Sports Council (NSC) and ANFA are currently just too politicized and have too many vested interests to deliver sound planning and strategy to take football and sports in Nepal to a level that hardcore fans dream about. It will thus be private individuals, groups and organizations that will have to play the lead role in developing Nepali football.

We are already seeing this in action sporadically across the country.

• Nepal Sports Journalist Forum (NSJF) annually hosts the Sports Award which has done much to motivate and encourage aspiring footballers and other sportsmen.

• Oshonik Club runs women’s football camps across the Western region and many of Nepal’s women footballers have ties to the Nepalgunj based club.

• Social Welfare Sports Center conducts youth training in the Nayabazaar Dhara neighborhood of Kathmandu and has produced several Martyrs League ‘A’ Division level players.

• Sahara Club every year hosts the Aaha Gold Cup, which has become Nepal’s preeminent Football Cup Tournament and has helped inspire others clubs and communities to also organize similar events.

• NRNs and Nepalis working abroad have been making a contribution to football in a variety of ways including equipment/financial donations and as liaisons between promising Nepali players and foreign clubs.

• Ambitious entrepreneurs opened up the Futsal Arena in Thamel.

And right on cue, Nepal’s top soccer star Rohit Chand just the other day donated Rs. 30,000 worth of equipment to help support football in the MidWestern Region.

The current challenge is that in Nepal there are only a handful of people like Bhoj Raj Shahi (Founder and President of Oshonik Club) and Bikram Thapa (Founder and Editor of GoalNepal) out there who are working passionately day and night to do their part to uplift football in Nepal, while in other parts of the globe there are thousands if not tens of thousands similar persons.

Though billion dollar clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United grab all the headlines, we need to remember that 95% of the worldwide football ecosystem is made up of clubs, tournaments, coaches, referees, administrators, etc. that are mostly run and operated by locals and volunteers.

Unfortunately in Nepal we still have a tendency to look to higher powers, be it God, Government or Ganesh [Thapa] (i.e. ANFA), to solve all our problems and the attitude of “If they are not doing anything, why should I?” prevails. As an example, there are perhaps over a thousand registered football clubs across the country, but only several dozen could be deemed as “active”. If you talk to the leadership of most Nepali clubs they’ll blame their inactivity on the lack of support from the three “G’s” mentioned above.

Undoubtedly, it would be ideal if the grassroots football movement worked closely with and were supported by top level institutions (GON, NSC, ANFA). However it is not essential, especially in this day and age with so many resources available at our finger tips. With the Internet and other new media channels we can all be football experts, we can all develop links, we can all raise awareness and funds for projects we are passionate about.

Tons of coaching, sports management, marketing information and resources can be found online. You no longer have to attend AFC or FIFA courses to understand how football works. Being an ANFA official is not a prerequisite to communicate with the international football fraternity.

The power to develop football in Nepal is essentially in our hands. So stop fantasizing about what the Government, NSC and ANFA could do, should do, needs to do and roll-up your sleeves and simply do it yourself! Start a fan club, create a website, learn to be a coach, organize youth training, donate a football, teach your grandmother the offside rule – you’ll have made your contribution to Nepal's football revolution.

Why Nepal Police Club keeps winning

2012-01-19T11:58:00.001+05:30

A few reasons why NPC keeps winning:

1. Year round training

2. Private training ground

3. Same core group of players and coaches every year

4. Constantly scouting for new talents (e.g. Bharat Khawas)

5. Great coach

Almost all Nepali clubs lack at least 3 of those points, if not more.

Turn National League into Champions League

2012-01-19T10:59:00.001+05:30

"ANFA would be wise to drastically simplify the National League system by going to a less complex Champions League model. Let each district run its own league, with the Martyrs League being the district competition for Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Then assign a quota to each district for qualification to the Nepal Champions League. As an example Martyrs League would get 8 teams; strong districts like Kaski, Sunsari and Rupandehi 2 teams each; and weaker districts like Ilam and Syangja 1 team each. You can then have a World Cup type tournament where single leg group matches are played in different cities across the country and the knockout phase is held in Kathmandu."

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Pokhara sports photos

2012-01-03T11:26:00.002+05:30

Want take an award winning sports photo? Go to Pokhara!

Photo by Sudarshan Ranjit

Photo by Kyohei Fujioka

Photo by Udipt Singh Chhetry

Match Fixing in football

2012-01-03T07:48:00.004+05:30

I want to write something about match fixing and unruly behavior in Nepali football, but honestly, no one cares except for a handful of diehard fans. Everyone - players, coaches, officials, etc. are in on it and the media not bothered to do any investigative reporting. Nepali football has become more like a chess or poker game - it's more about strategy off the field than the action on the field.

If someone like me who lives abroad has so much inside information on fixed matches, I can only imagine what those around Nepali football fulltime must know.

After the Machhindra-Bansbari fiasco in last seasons Martyrs League A Division, I presumed that the Nepali football fraternity would think twice before manipulating matches, but seeing what is going on in the B Division, it seems it is back to business as usual.

National League = Champions League

2011-12-30T10:47:00.001+05:30

If you think about it, the Nepal National League is actually a Champions League. The top 8 teams in the Martyrs League 'A' Division are joined by the champions of the East Zone and West Zone. This is similar to how England, Spain and Germany get 4 bids to the UEFA Champions League, while countries like Ireland only get 1 bid.

There is no promotion/relegation and next year all clubs will have to start from scratch and qualify for the tournament again.

Eventually ANFA should combine the National League with the Martyrs League. Create a Premier division and then have an A Division, B Division and C Division below it. B and C Divisions can be regional to reduce costs and travel.

By the way - this is actually Nepal's 3rd National League. First two were held in 1998 and 1999. In 1998 Valley Sporting (Pokhara) and Munal Club (Jhapa) participated. In 1999 The Boys Group (Dharan) and a club from Rupandehi were the non-Kathmandu clubs. Mahendra Police Club (now NPC) won the League both times.

Best fans in the world?

2011-12-27T15:43:00.002+05:30

Photo courtesy of NepalSportsPhoto

Despite Nepal’s ineptitude in international sport, it is amazing how passionate Nepali sports fans are. There was no better demonstration of this than in the beginning of December (2011) when simultaneously Nepal’s National Cricket and Football Teams were participating in the ACC Twenty20 Cup and the SAFF Championship respectively.

The TU Cricket Ground was packed to the brim for each one of Nepal’s cricket matches and thousands of Nepalis made their way to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, India to root for Nepal’s Football Team. While thousands of fans at sporting events is nothing out of the ordinary, the greater context of these events would suggest otherwise.

The ACC Twenty20 Cup is a tournament for Asia’s cricketing minnows. In a day and age when even Test sides struggle to draw healthy crowds, for tens of thousands of fans to cram into the TU Cricket Ground, an absolute bare bones stadium, for matches against obscure opponents is impressive.

Similarly the SAFF Championship is a tournament for the weaklings of international football (i.e. South Asian nations). Attendance for the 2011 edition of the tournament was abysmal, the one bright spot being the Nepali contingent at all the Nepal matches. At least in the group stages, Nepali fans even outnumbered those of the host nation - India.

All this is nothing new. I’ve been fortunate enough to watch Nepali athletes and teams across the globe and seen the passion of Nepali sports fans on many occasions. Here are but a few examples:

1997 SAFF Cup (Kathmandu)

Dasharath Rangasala had an overflowing crowd of around 30,000 for the finals of the tournament, a match which did not even feature Nepal. India and Maldives were the finalists.

1998 Asian Games (Bangkok)

There were dozens of fervent Nepali fans at the Karate and Taekwondo events, more than any other nation except for the hosts Thailand.

1999 AFC Asian Olympic Qualifiers (Hong Kong)

Thousands of Nepali fans attended Nepal’s three matches at the Hong Kong Stadium. They outnumbered locals in the match against Hong Kong. In one of the most infamous events in Asian Soccer, hundreds of Nepali supporters invaded the pitch and then chased and beat-up Malaysian players after a Malaysian player became aggressive against a Nepali player.

2006 AFC U16 Championship (Singapore)

Nearly 2,500 Nepalis attended each one of Nepal’s matches in this youth competition. The non-Nepal games were lucky to even draw 500 fans. The Nepal-Singapore match drew a greater number of Gorkhalis than Singaporeans.

2008 Prime Ministers Cup (Kathmandu)

Virtually every game was packed in this meaningless football tournament where foreign teams disguised as Senior National Teams (ONLY IN NEPAL!) participated. The final match between Nepal and Sri Lanka saw ticketless fans climb trees and scale to the rooftops to catch a glimpse of the action.

2008 AFC Presidents Cup Qualifiers (Kuala Lumpur)

Hundreds of Nepali fans, most of them laborers with little disposable income, showed up to watch Nepal Police Club’s three matches in a tournament that was not marketed at all. AFC staff at the tournament were in shock as they did not expect any fans to turn up as the matches were supposed to be a closed doors affair.

These examples beg the question – are Nepalis the best sports fans in the world? Just imagine how much fan support we would bring if our athletes and teams actually had a good shot at winning something!

SAFF Championship 2011: ANFA needs to get real about player development

2011-12-17T11:58:00.003+05:30

In preparing for the SAFF Championship ANFA checked all the correct boxes.

They started preparing for the tournament months in advance, they hired a competent foreign coach, they sent the National Team abroad for training, they arranged friendly matches and they enticed players with all sorts of bonuses and rewards.

Despite ANFA’s best efforts and some inspired performances from our players, Nepal was only able to win one match out of four and went out to Afghanistan in the semifinals of the regional competition. It’s now been 18 long years since Nepal has won a senior tournament of significance. Most times, we struggle to even get out of the group stages.

Furthermore, Nepal continues to fail to defeat teams that at least on paper have no business being competitive against us. The Maldives is a tiny island nation with a smaller population than Bhaktapur District. Afghanistan has been ravaged by decades of war.

Pakistan

is best known for sewing footballs, not kicking them. India is a country solely obsessed with cricket.

Nepal should not just be competitive against our South Asian neighbors, we should be dominating them!

Football is king in the Himalayan Republic. The media attention, fan support, sponsorship (per capita) and passion for the Beautiful Game inside our borders is unrivaled in the region, and even in the continent there are only a handful of countries that can match our enthusiasm.

So what seems to be the issue? Why do we struggle to even just reach the finals of a South Asian tournament?

To answer this, I refer you to a comment made by Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia in a recent interview. When asked what facilities Indian National Team players need to be able to compete with the better Asian sides, Bhaichung said that Indian players did not require better facilities, but that India required better players. He confessed that even his own standard was not good enough to compete with the likes of a Japan and South Korea or even a Qatar and Bahrain.

Nepal is in the exact same boat. To consistently win in SAFF and catch-up to mid level Asian football nations such as Malaysia and Lebanon we simply need to produce better players. (And for our cricket brothers at CAN, it’s the exact same scenario).

Will these boys become better players than what we've currently got?

Here is one way to look at it. Pretty much every Indian and Maldives National Team member would be able to play for Nepal’s best clubs, such as MMC or Nepal Police Club, yet according to a well respected South Asian football player agent, there are only two or three Nepali players good enough to play for even a lower level first division Indian or Maldives side.

Unfortunately, right now ANFA, our clubs, and football backers have no pragmatic plan to produce higher quality players. The words “football development” rings completely hollow to clubs, while sponsors/backers are still writing blank checks and have shown little vigilance in how their sponsorship rupees are spent.

As for ANFA, they basically have two failing strategies. One is the ANFA Academy and the second is cash rewards. Neither really is much of a strategy at all.

Selecting 40 boys at the age of 12 and expecting them to transform into world class players is naïve. There are too many variables that factor into player development and that is why you need a system where tens of thousands of kids are receiving high quality training and not just 40. Nirajan Malla is the classic case. At an early age he was billed as Nepal’s next great striker. He went to Japan for a short training stint with Asian giants Urawa Reds. It is rumored that Qatar’s Aspire Academy was also interested in signing him. As he grew older Nirajan was not able to live up to the hype and as we all know he was not even able to break into Nepal’s SAFF Championship side, a team that was weakest at the attacking positions.

As for cash rewards, simply put you can’t turn lead into gold, no matter how much money or mutton you have on offer. Players are not suddenly going to be able to shoot better or have greater tactical awareness because a few notes are being waved in front of their faces the night before a match. If it was that easy, oil rich countries like Qatar and Brunei would be winning the FIFA World Cup every time.

ANFA needs to quit with the gimmicks and get real about player development. Churn out thousands of youth coaches that can mold future stars, create a proper scouting network that identifies promising talents, mandate clubs to adopt youth academies, require every tournament to run a parallel junior competition, foster a professional football environment by implementing a club licensing system and have a zero tolerance policy on match fixing. Only after such strategies are implemented can we realistically expect top caliber players – ones capable of competing against the best in Asia - to be born.

One of the most repeated phrases on Internet forums after Nepal’s loss to Afghanistan was “Bad Luck”. We need to get to a point where our players are just so damn talented that neither “Good Luck” nor “Bad Luck” makes any difference in the final outcome. We’ll win no matter what!

SAFF Championship: The pride is back

2011-12-10T10:21:00.001+05:30

When you play poorly and lose you get a sick feeling. When you lose but play well, your heart sinks. Today most Nepalis are suffering from football heartache and not headache.

The 2011 SAFF Championship in New Delhi was a big step in the right direction for

Nepal

’s National Team.

Before the tournament many reputed South Asian football pundits were lumping Nepal in the same category as perennial minnows Sri Lanka and Bhutan opposed to the masters Maldives and India. Who could argue with them?

Nepal’s only recent victory against a senior national team came against Bhutan and East Timor the punching bags of Asian football. Nepal was humiliated 9-0 by Jordan in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and lost the majority of its friendly matches in their South East Asian tour including 4-0 to perennial strugglers the Philippines. Was there really any reason to be optimistic?

However something remarkable happened in New Delhi. The team not only came to play, but they turned on the style. With quick, short-passing, attacking football Nepal overran all three of its opponents in the group stage and comfortably qualified for the semifinals of the tournament. In the knockout round Nepal unfortunately missed chance after chance in the first half and ultimately went down to a resilient

Afghanistan

side. You win some, you lose some.

What was most impressive about Nepal’s performances was the intensity and focus they showed - two traits that have often gone missing for the National Team. Nepali players in the recent past have a history of football load shedding, basically the lights going out at inopportune times, thus making careless mistakes, giving up silly goals and then sulking and conceding even more goals!

The Gorkhali spirit and bravado that was the hallmark of Nepali teams in the 1980’s has also long been absent. These days our players easily get nervous during matches and that extra bit of fight to win the ball, make a tackle, stand-up to the opponent has been a rarity.

This time however things were different. The Gorkhali spirit was back! The team was composed, they were determined, they had grit and they played some very attractive football. All this was perfectly encapsulated in the 96^th minute wonder strike by Sagar Thapa – perhaps the most dramatic goal in Nepali football history.

Graham Robert and his coaching staff deserve much credit for developing the team and getting the tactics right. ANFA, sponsors and well-wishers also did their part by leaving no stone unturned in preparing this team for the tournament. The SAFF Championship was truly a great team effort – players, coaches, officials, sponsors and not to forget - media and fans!

There have been very few times recently where we could genuinely be proud to be Nepali football fans. The last week was certainly one of those occasions.

We felt proud to see the resolve of our players.

We felt proud to witness the positive approach of our coaches.

We felt proud to hear foreign teams and commentators call us the best side in the tournament.

We felt proud to know that our fans totally kick-ass - in the stadium, online and at home.

It just felt great to be a proud Nepali football supporter once again.

SAFF Championship 2011

2011-12-03T08:32:00.010+05:30

Semifinal: Nepal

vs. Afghanistan (December 9)

Nepal had the possession, but Afghanistan had the goal and earned a 1-0 victory in extra time. Nepal had plenty of chances to score, but the strikers were blunt as was the case this entire tournament.

I'll have lots of articles on the SAFF Championship in the coming days. Stay tuned!

Nepal

vs. Pakistan (December 6)

With their quick, short passing game, for the third consecutive match Nepal were the better side. They took the lead on an inspired side volley by Bharat Khawas in a goalmouth scrap after a Nepal cornerkick. Pakistan equalized at the start of the 2nd half on a penalty kick, but hardly troubled Nepal thereafter. Nepal's attack itself was fairly blunt in the second period save a Sandeep Rai freekick that bounced-off the post.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw and its on to the semifinals for Nepal.

For all its enterprise Nepal seriously has lacked any sort of cutting edge in their attack throughout the SAFF Championship. Nepal's forwards neither have the virtuoso nor the strength and power to get past the oppositions' last line. It's no surprise therefore that all three of Nepal's goals in the tournament have come from set pieces.

Off the pitch, Nepal's hardcore football fanbase kicked-butt as usual. One again thousands were at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium creating a ruckus.

Nepal

vs. Bangladesh (December 4)

Nepal continues to impress at the SAFF Championship. Though it took 90 minutes to find the winning goal versus Bangladesh, on an inspirational free kick by Captain Sagar Thapa, for the second game in a row they dominated the opposition.

Nepal has been the most impressive team at the SAFF Championship thus far. With India in disarray, could this be the year?

Nepal

vs. Maldives (December 2)

The Boys came to play! Nepal was easily the better side in its first match against the Maldives. From the opening whistle the Maldives were on the back foot, unable to match Nepal’s fitness and intensity. With crisp one touch passing, Nepal attacked in waves. Unfortunately, poor crossing and a lack of shooting power in the final third saw the match end in just a 1-1 draw.

Most impressive was Nepal’s midfield which overwhelmed Maldives and hardly let them within 35 yards of

Nepal

’s goal. Constant pressure saw

Maldives

quite flustered and rarely were they able to string together more than 3 or 4 passes. Bharat Khawas in midfield and Robin Shrestha on the wing were a constant threat and could stake claim to the Man of the Match award.

Historically, in pressure situations Nepali players seem to get very tight and nervous and tend to wilt during crunch time. Not today. The players looked very confident from the start and despite going a goal down on a blinder of a shot at the end of the 1^st half, stayed composed and were able to level the game in the early part of the 2^nd period and kept attacking until the very end. Looks like the ANFA's motivation classes are paying off.

Cash rewards 2.0

2011-12-03T08:14:00.006+05:30

I received quite a few emails about my post on Cash Rewards. I quickly wrote the piece immediately upon reading about ANFA’s announcement that they will award Rs.10,000 Rupees a month to players. Reflecting back on my original post I readily acknowledge that I did not articulate myself very well. So let me try to be more clear.

ANFA and Nepali sports associations in general have a long tradition of offering big cash rewards to players before high profile events such as the South Asian Games, Asian Games, SAFF Cup, etc. This is actually not unique and something that almost every sports association in the world does.

There is a big difference however on the reasoning behind the cash rewards. The more sophisticated sports associations across the globe offer cash rewards as a bonus to players for achieving an objective. In Nepal the cash rewards are basically a sports associations’ STRATEGY to win medals and trophies. That is to say that our sports associations actually believe that offering money will increase the chances of winning.

One way to look at is that we use cash rewards as a carrot while most countries offer it as a dessert. Our way of thinking is flawed. Here is why:

Cash rewards basically serve one purpose – to motivate a player. Cash rewards will not make a player technically more proficient, increase their strength, expand their Game IQ (i.e. “Football IQ”), or develop their tactical awareness. Those are things that can only be developed and improved with years of top class training, coaching and playing. Training habits and game play will not magically get better in a matter of 24 hours, no matter what the incentive.

Nepali players are not underperforming because they lack motivation, they are producing poor results because of inferior training, coaching and access to competitive matches (“playing”).

When Nepali players attend meaningful international events where they have a realistic shot of doing well, I believe that they are very motivated. Contrary to what cynics say, our athletes do take a lot of pride in representing their country. I really don’t believe they suddenly think – “Oh wow! I’ve been offered an extra 1 Lakh Rupees if I win a medal, so now I’m really going to step it up and give an extra 5%”.

On the other hand our sports associations instead of devising sound long term strategies to develop our athletes tend to resort to gimmicks such as these financial incentives and then quickly absolve themselves of complacency and incompetence when results don’t go their way. “Well we offered them 1 Lakh Rupees, what more do you want us to do?” would be a typical response from them.

The proof is pretty much in the pudding as Nepal has miserably failed to make a mark in international sports, so clearly these motivational cash rewards aren’t working.

A parallel I like to draw is that of a parent that desperately wants their child to get First Division in the SLC exam. Do you believe offering a cash reward to a kid one night before the SLC exam is going to make any difference on the results? Perhaps the parent should have enrolled their child at Budhanilkantha School and instilled a good work ethic and discipline many years back if they were truly serious about their child doing well on the SLC exam.

This is not to say that these cash rewards might not have an impact on future athletes. Maybe there is a kid in Jhapa who is now inspired to become a footballer on hearing about ANFA’s generous rewards. If that’s the case – wonderful! But let us not be naive either. ANFA’s announcement has nothing to do with inspiring future footballers. It is clearly about winning the 2011 SAFF Cup, a prize that Ganesh Thapa desperately covets after failing to win a single meaningful tournament in his 15 years as ANFA President.

Nonetheless, whatever the motivation may be, I applaud ANFA for leaving no stone unturned in the last half-year to try and win this edition of the SAFF Cup. The cash rewards on offer will certainly be a great bonus for the players if they are able to fulfill the aspirations of Nepali football fans.

Cash rewards

2011-11-30T12:38:00.002+05:30

It's wonderful that ANFA is offering Rs. 10,000 per month for life to National Team players if they win the SAFF Cup. It's a great potential bonus for the players and their families, but at the end of the day that is all it is - a bonus.

Anyone who thinks money will drive our players to play harder or better is fooling themselves, because guess what? Our players will give it their best no matter what!!!

An athletes performance is the output of all the training and coaching (input) they received in their life. If Nepal wins the SAFF Cup it will be because our players received better training and coaching from the beginning of their careers than our opponents. If we fare poorly it will be because the training and coaching wasn't good enough. End of story.

See follow-up article CashRewards 2.0

Social Welfare Sports Centre

2011-11-15T10:40:00.001+05:30

When I am in Nepal I try my best to visit as many grassroots sports programs across the country as possible. The only problem is that there are really not that many around. An NGO-Foreign Aid-Centralized Government culture has unfortunately created an environment where people have become used to putting their hands out opposed to getting their hands dirty. Thus one can basically count on two hands the organized grassroots sports programs that exist in the country.

Luckily, through the power of Facebook, I was able to connect with the team running a grassroots football program in the Nayabazaar Dhara neighborhood of Kathmandu and paid them a visit on my most recent trip to Nepal.

On reaching the open sandlot where the unconventionally named club – Social Welfare Sports Centre (SWSC) conducts training, I was pleasantly surprised to see full blown youth football training for multiple age groups – and no it was not the “A FIFA Master/ former AFC official is coming to pay us a visit, so let’s quickly put something together to impress him” variety either. This was a legit grassroots program.

SWSC was established by seven teenage friends in 1999 as a way to provide youths in and around Nayabazaar Dhara a diversion to the distractions of the streets. They hoped to achieve this by providing football training which would help keep kids away from mischief.

Eleven years on SWSC is as active as ever: conducting under-12 and under-16 training for neighborhood kids, organizing small sided football tournaments and also through community outreach programs like providing safe drinking water, immunization drives, and assisting local children with school tuition and in garnering scholarships.

SWSC has also made a national impact in football. Several top division football players including Rupesh KC (HSC), Nabin Maharjan (MMC), and Nirajan Shrestha (UYC) are alumni of the club’s youth training setup. Their senior team recently was promoted to the Martyrs League ‘C’ division and just missed out on qualifying for the ‘B’ division, though they will still participate in the national ‘C’ division tournament as a result of their strong showing in the league.

Irrespective of the on-field successes, SWSC officials assert that the club’s greatest accomplishment has been providing an alternative to the drug and gang culture which many youths in Kathmandu gravitate to as a result of disillusionment or boredom. One club representative commented that in Nayabazaar Dhara one can basically separate the disciplined boys from the wayward ones based on who attends football training.

A grassroots sports program that not only has survived, but thrives after nearly a dozen years is a rarity in Nepal. SWSC’s success lies in the fact that along with football training, they also groom their trainees to take on leadership roles in the club. Thus all of the current SWSC Executive Board members, now in their late teens or twenties, were one time football trainees at the club.

SWSC has also been able to muster considerable goodwill from the local community. As an example a local sporting goods manufacturer Wild Sports has sponsored all the club’s match and training kits. On the other hand, despite their achievements, SWSC receives virtually no support from national institutions, including ANFA. Unlike many clubs and projects, SWSC has little political clout and no famous personality in their ranks thus assisting such a club is generally considered a waste of resources for politically driven organizations. Why help a club that offers no votes or short-term financial leverage?

Fortunately, with the explosion of Nepali sports blogs, websites and Facebook pages, SWSC’s story is no longer hidden. They have recently garnered prominent attention on GoalNepal and have made a name for themselves amongst Nepali football fans on Facebook. With their new found exposure, formidable performances in the Martyrs League and well developed club structures, one can expect to hear much more from SWSC in the near future.

T-Shirts

2011-11-02T10:39:00.003+05:30

A few years back ANFA Technical Director Bhim Thapa and I organized a youth football coaching course for Biratnagar Sports Club (BSC). Only a handful of the dozens of club officials we invited for the Opening Ceremony bothered to show-up. We gave them all a Biratnagar Sports Club t-shirt as a souvenir gift.

A couple of days later, we were surprised to see how packed the Closing Ceremony was - especially as it was supposed to be a low key affair and we had only formally invited a few District FA officials. It turns out everyone was there in hopes of getting a free BSC t-shirt! Unfortunately for them we had already given away our extra t-shirts to the local staff (security guards, janitors, etc.) who worked at the school where we conducted the coaching program.

Refusing to take no for an answer, one club official pleaded with me in very broken English for a t-shirt. I guess he thought I would be more inclined to give him something if he spoke to me in my first language. Another official even asked if he could have the BSC shirt I was wearing! Perhaps if I had a six pack like John Abraham I might have considered taking off the shirt and literally flexing my muscles, but unfortunately I'm probably in worse shape than Govinda.

The irony of it all? The club officials, especially from the far off villages, probably spent altogether around 500 Rupees to attend the Closing Ceremony. The BSC t-shirts cost 200 Rupees a piece!

Teams versus Clubs

2011-10-24T13:46:00.004+05:30

Assembling a group of 15-20 very talented players and winning trophies makes you a great team. Having a proper club office, staff, academy, training facility (or regular access to one), merchandising, supporters club and community outreach makes you a great club.

We have lots of football teams in Nepal but very few clubs. The challenge for our football officials is to transform their teams into proper clubs.

I met many team/club officials during my most recent visit to Nepal and the one question I kept asking them was if FIFA President Sepp Blatter were to come to Nepal and visit your club, what would you show him? Save Bansbari, Himalayan Sherpa and a few others, most teams would have little to present other than a dusty office and a few rusty trophies.

Teach a man to fish

2011-10-04T11:03:00.007+05:30

I had been very hands-on in two different sports projects in Nepal. There are several other projects where I am not actively involved, but offer advice and consulting.

As it turns out, the projects that I provide only advice to are progressing far better than the ones I was regularly involved in. The reason? The projects in which I was active in had come to rely on me like the Government of Nepal relies on foreign aid! I helped them find sponsors, secure equipment and market themselves. Unfortunately, instead of learning from me they became dependent on me, therefore nothing got done unless I was involved or I barked some orders.

On the other hand, the projects where I only provide consulting look at me as a knowledge resource and not as an NGO. The projects are eager to learn from me and work among themselves to implement some of the ideas I share with them. They know they will only get a blueprint and must be prepared to do all the heavy lifting.

The moral of my experience: Don’t give a man fish, teach him how to catch some.

Five ways to develop youth football

2011-09-15T06:37:00.000+05:30

Understandably, Nepali football fans are very disappointed with the recent Under-16 results both in the SAFF and AFC U-16 tournaments. Rightly or wrongly ANFA officials have always led us to believe that “We Are the Best at Youth Level,” so the fact that we are failing to get results in the youth ranks is depressing.

It is important to keep things in perspective though. Look at the Maldives for example. Results wise they are miserable at the youth level but their clubs and Senior National Team are very formidable in regional competitions. That is why football development experts almost uniformly say youth competitions are about developing player and not the final score.

Perhaps what is disheartening to Nepali football fans is that we know Nepal is always playing for results and never development and we still lose. Therefore it is like a double negative – not only are we losing, but our players are not developing!

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Nepali players headed in the wrong direction

2011-09-14T09:48:00.001+05:30

Jagjit Shrestha and Anil Gurung most recently went West to Germany and England respectively to try their luck in European football. Rohit Chand could join them if his paperwork ever gets sorted. With the help of the Nepali diaspora, and sometimes dodgy agents, footballers are increasingly finding new opportunities to play or at the very least go for trials at Western clubs. There is one slight issue however, the Western clubs we are talking about are not Manchester United or Bayern Munich or even Scunthorpe United or 1860 Munich for that matter. They are semi-pro and amateur clubs buried in the deep pyramid structures of European football.

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Away

2011-09-02T14:53:00.002+05:30

I'm taking a break (need to concentrate on a project). Hope to be back blogging soon.

An apology

2011-08-12T13:35:00.005+05:30

1994, the last time Nepal won a South Asian tournament

I apologize for believing in the potential of Nepali football and holding it to very high standards. I feel we are capable of a lot more than just beating the likes of Afghanistan and East Timor and one of our national team players going for trials with a 6th division English semi-pro club.

From now on I will do my best to temper my optimism and learn from our wise and pragmatic soccer officials about Nepal's limitations and insurmountable challenges in domestic and international football.

Youth Football

2011-08-05T09:35:00.001+05:30

Youth competitions are a platform for players to develop. As long as Nepal played well and there are some promising players coming up the ranks that is all that matters. The scoreline is irrelevant. When the focus is on winning, players don't develop as coaches will only concentrate on the players' strengths and not their weaknesses.

ANFA Academy - Dharan (Under 12) trainees

Rohit Chand

2011-08-04T14:31:00.000+05:30

Update August 4: Now Rohit is being linked to Lille!

I was absolutely floored when I saw this on the BBC Website:

1723: FOOTBALL - North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham will battle it out to sign 18-year-old Nepalese defender Rohit Chand, who plays for Indian First Division side Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) SC, reports talkSPORT.

Here's the BBC link and the TalkSport interview. A few websites are re-reporting it here and here and here.

As the former captain and star player of Machhindra FC, Rohit Chand is one of my favorite players. I definitely could see him playing in the the top flight of 2nd tier European league (e.g. Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark) in a few years time - but the Premier League, WOW! that would be beyond my wildest thoughts. Let's see what happens.

Here is a great highlights video of Rohit when he was at Machhindra:

A great interview with him can be found here. His Official Website. Some photos of Rohit (Media are free to use):

Jordan match was lost decades ago

2011-07-24T10:36:00.008+05:30

Nepal did not lose to Jordan 9-0 last night. It lost the match decades ago.
2001, 1991 or 1981 – take your pick. What occurs in a football match isn’t just a 90 minute story, it is part of a novel that begins years back, perhaps even before any of our current national team players were born.

It was ten, twenty, thirty years ago when ANFA and our football clubs should have been developing coaches, creating sound youth programs (and not gimmicks like the ANFA Academy), truly professionalizing the football league and building football facilities (before land prices were 1 crore per ropani).

Neither the twenty member squad that went to Jordan nor their coaches are responsible for the humiliating defeat. They are just victims of an inept Nepali football system that has let football fans and the country down for ages.

It is a system that does not have a single AFC A-License coach when we should have several hundred. It is a system where clubs spend lakhs on senior players and not a penny on youth development. It is a system where fans and news media celebrate a victory over East Timor, the lowest FIFA ranked Asian country, like a victory over Argentina.

Apologists will always bring up our poverty, our dysfunctional government, an unhelpful FIFA/AFC, but riddle me this - just last week ANFA conducted a grassroots-football workshop and coaches from clubs that are the most active in grassroots-football like Bansbari, Madhyapur, Sahara and Oshonik were not even invited. Was this a result of poverty, government, FIFA/AFC, an Indian conspiracy to dominate Nepal or simply pure negligence and incompetence by our football officials?

The list of grievances is endless; therefore, expecting a formidable result by our national team against quality opposition is like expecting a kid who goes to a Nepali government school in Bajhang district with no books or qualified teachers to pass the SLC exam.

Sagar Thapa, Anil Gurung, Rohit Chand, Megh Raj KC and Upendra Man Singh are all students at the School of Nepali Football and Graham Roberts the visiting professor asked to prepare them for an education at Oxford. Class is over kids and Jordan certainly taught us a few lessons!

The roots are rotten
You will only have a strong national team when you have quality players, and quality players are only developed when you have formidable coaches, leagues and youth programs. ANFA could hire Sir Alex Ferguson tomorrow or send the national team for one year training in Brazil, but until the roots of Nepali football are nourished Nepali football will remain a rotting tree.

Let us take youth football as an example. Experts agree that youth football starts as early as age 5 or 6. By age 12 a player should be technically sound. Youth players should participate in 30 to 40 competitive matches a year and need to have played around 10,000 hours of football by the age of 20 to become a top talent. You need a pool of tens of thousands of players to cultivate a single elite player and need well qualified coaches (who understand youth development) to nurture and develop those talents.

Now let’s look at the realities on the ground. In Nepal there is no organized youth football whatsoever until age 12. At age 12 if a player is extremely lucky he can get selected by the ANFA Academy or the 2 or 3 club youth training programs that have recently started. Only at age 12 do players start technical training and usually it is by coaches who have little or no knowledge of youth football development. The academy kids hardly play any competitive matches, maybe a dozen at the most, as there are no opponents to play against. At best there are about 200 players in these academies and the rest of our youth are left to play on city streets or village rice fields. It is no wonder that in the last decade only one Nepali player, Rohit Chand, has gone on to play at the highest level of Indian football, which itself is quite mediocre.

Youth football is just one example of the failing Nepali football system. You could make a similar list of issues in every aspect of football in the country from league organization, club structures, coach and referee development and facility management to things like marketing, sports medicine, news media and even fan culture.

Turning things around
The great news is despite all our challenges football is still king in Nepal. The media coverage, the chatter on Facebook, the packed stands at tournaments and kids climbing trees to watch a match is unrivaled in the region.

The potential to be a great football nation is still there. ANFA, football clubs and even sponsors (see my last GoalNepal article), news media and fans need to simply DO THE POSSIBLE, as in the famous quote, “If you do all that is possible, you will have achieved the impossible.”

The possible road to impossible starts with ANFA developing well qualified coaches. Not one or two but hundreds! Without high quality coaches we will never have high quality players. Second, every club whether it is Laliguras Club of Dhankuta or Three Star Club of Lalitpur need to begin youth football activities - be it a simple after school "football for all" program or an elite youth academy. Only once we have thousands of kids playing organized football will we be able to find 11 players that have the quality to compete against the best sides on the continent.

Do these two things and we will be well on our way to recovering from the 9 goal deficit.

Sponsors need to flex their muscles

2011-07-17T22:36:00.002+05:30

The list of sponsors in Nepali football is quite impressive. It reads like the who’s who of international brands – Red Bull, Samsung, Pepsi, Western Union, LG, CocaCola, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Mahindra, etc. Add to that all our home brands like Nepal Telecom, Mega Bank, Nepal Bank Limited and Yeti Airlines.

The only thing more remarkable than all the sponsors in Nepali soccer is the lack of development of football in the country despite all those sponsors!

In Nepal, sponsors dump money on ANFA and clubs and – well, that’s basically about it! They pretty much close their eyes to the ails of Nepali football, pat themselves on the back for doing their corporate social responsibility, and put nice little photos in their annual reports about how they are helping to develop sports in Nepal.

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Match Fixing

2011-07-14T12:03:00.005+05:30

Match Fixing in Nepal is like a geometric proof. Team A does it with Team X because Team B did it with Team Y because Team B was worried that Team C might do it with Team Z and know that Team D will help Team A if necessary.

Officials of Team A,C and Z are all ANFA members, official of Team B is the match commissioner, the match referee used to play for Team D and the sponsor's grandson works at Team X. And finally, the reporter writing about all this outrage is a board member of TeamY!

Nothing's really changed

2011-07-07T17:06:00.004+05:30

Just got back from a trip to Nepal. Nepali football pretty much keeps trudging along as usual. Several football official remarked how competitive the Martyrs League is this year. Even unfancied clubs are holding their own. This is primarily due to the influx of foreigners who have helped create somewhat of a level playing field. Unlike leagues abroad where all the best players, including the foreigners, go to the richest clubs - Nepal's transfer market is not so sophisticated as of yet and the best foreigners can many times land on some of the smaller teams like Bansbari and JYC.

The same issues pretty much ail football in Nepal. Match fixing is rampant (though much more veiled than before), there is no youth football (other than at Bansbari and Madhyapur Thimi), and referee and coach development are at a standstill. The country goes into euphoria when Nepal beats teams ranked 50 spots below them in the FIFA Rankings showing just how low our expectations have become.

Nonetheless, when the national team plays the stadium is packed, media coverage is solid, sponsorship is at an all time high and enthusiasm for the sport remains strong. We've still got many problems and we've still got enormous potential. Nothing's really changed.

Nepal Government out of touch

2011-06-11T11:11:00.003+05:30

Photo taken from Himalayan Times

ANFA needs to be congratulated for convincing the Government of Nepal in awarding cash prizes of Rs. 50,000 to each player on the Nepal National teams (mens and womens) that qualified for the AFC Challenge Cup finals and finished 2nd in the SAFF Womens Football Championship. That is a massive amount of money for essentially trivial accomplishments.

Nepal's Mens National Team has qualified for the final round of the AFC Challenge Cup before, so this by no means is a historic feat. To qualify they beat Afganistan, drew against Sri Lanka and lost to North Korea. Nothing spectacular there either, though ironically the 0-1 loss to North Korea, a FIFA World Cup participant, was probably the the most impressive result out of the three.

Nepal's Womens National Team finished second to India in the SAFF Womens Football Championship which basically comprised of India and a bunch of Muslim nations (Bangladesh, Pakistan, Maldives, etc.) where womens football is just sprouting.

So basically Nepal Government is giving Rs. 50,000 per player for beating Afghanistan, a country ranked lower than Nepal in the FIFA Rankings and reaching the finals of a virtually non-competitive tournament. As a football fan this is terrific! Well done ANFA! But as a Nepali this is ridiculous and sad. It just confirms how out of touch our government is.

Addendum: Nepal's Judo team bagged a few gold medals at the recent South Asian Judo Championships and Keshari Chaudhary just broke two national records in Athletics. I wonder how much Nepal Goverment is planning to award them? Surely it should be more than Rs. 50,000? (Don't bet on it!)

Runway to fairway

2011-06-06T08:49:00.003+05:30

Jetting in for a quick round of golf in Kathmandu.

Photo from Nepal Sports Photo

Domestic sports have "SCOPE"!

2011-06-01T18:44:00.003+05:30

Records holder Keshari Chaudhary

Keshari Chaudhary last week broke two national records in Athletics. Along with her previous record in the High Jump, she now also holds the womens records for the Triple Jump and Long Jump.

Her national records in any of those three disciplines would not be even good enough to qualify her for the Olympics. But does it really matter? She is the best Nepali at what she does and that's a great achievement in its own right.

(FYI - She's also a national level cricket player, thus arguably making her Nepal's top sportsman.)

I really wish Keshari's records garnered more fanfare. I for one would have loved to have been at the stadium to witness them. She and not the likes of the football team that won a meaningless international friendly tournament (i.e. Prime Ministers Cup) against weak opponents should be having audiences with our country's leaders.

All this leads me to my next point. The one phrase that really irks me when reading Nepali newspapers and forums is when sports journalists/fans and even sports officials talk about a certain sport "not having scope". If organized and developed properly, every sport except for maybe surfing (sorry but there are no beaches in Nepal) has scope. Just because we are unlikely to compete well at the international level does not mean we cannot have well run and exciting competitions domestically. Football and golf are the classic examples. We lag quite far behind other nations in those two sports but have immensely popular and well covered football and golf competitions.

In my eyes the sports that have the most scope in Nepal are actually ones we might perennially struggle in internationally because of our diminutive stature - such as basketball and volleyball. Due to our geography and the lack of parks and fields in major cities, basketball and volleyball are two sports that are well suited for the hilly regions and our schools and colleges which are all devoid of open spaces. As an example, basketball is a religion in the Philippines, but they do not have a single player in the NBA and their national team stinks, even at the Asian level! We ourselves should look to develop sports like basketball and not worry if a Nepali will ever be able dunk the ball like Blake Griffin.

Let's send the phrase "not having scope" to Arya Ghat and get excited about all domestic competitions and athletic achievements - like that of Keshari's, whether they are internationally significant or not. If it happens in Nepal, it's significant to us!

(Mea Culpa: I've not always held this sentiment - as you may have noticed if you read my Karishma Karki article a long time back, but I guess as we grow older we get wiser)

Dysfunctional clubs need to hire CEOs

2011-05-16T10:15:00.002+05:30

Machhindra FC jerseys - nowhere to be found!

Last year Machhindra FC had a plan to market and sell its kits. The goal was to sell 1,000 jerseys at a 100 Rupees profit per shirt meaning a tidy 1 Lakh in extra revenues for the Red Lions.

MFC planned to promote the kits by running contests on Call Kantipur, GoalNepal, Facebook, and various other media outlets. The shirts were to be sold outside the stadium, at the club’s premises and in sports shops all across Kathmandu.

Before the plan could be executed a jersey design had to be agreed upon. Unfortunately the nine member Machhindra Executive Board could not rally around a design. Some wanted more red on the jerseys while others wanted more white. Some wanted stripes, others wanted checkers. Some wanted Adidas and others demanded Nike. In the end the project completely collapsed and the only way to get a Machhindra FC jersey these days is by stealing one from a current player.

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Not so quite on the Mid-Western front

2011-05-03T12:44:00.002+05:30

I made my first trip to Mid-Western Nepal last week.

To be perfectly blunt, I’ve never really heard anyone say anything positive about the Mid-West and given that I had to go through some notorious areas of Uttar Pradesh to reach Nepalgunj, the largest city in the region, I was a bit on edge about the whole trip.

Nepalgunj proved to be much different than I anticipated. It is a bustling border-town not much different than many of the small cities across the country. In fact it is far more spread-out and seemed to have a lot more hotels and restaurants compared to many of the towns I frequently visit in Eastern Nepal. True to its name, the majority of the locals are Nepali speaking.

Bageshwari Temple of Nepalgunj

Western Nepal, that is to say the areas west of Pokhara and Butwal, now designated Mid-Western and Far-Western regions, are perhaps the poorest areas of the country. It was in these same lands that much of the Maoist insurgency gained momentum in its early years.

Poverty in the West is not limited to economic deprivation. Historically, sporting accomplishments by athletes and teams from the far-flung Western regions have also been poor. Locals point to bad role models as a major culprit. While Eastern Nepal’s proximity to West Bengal and Northeast India – a hotbed of Indian sport, helped them develop their sporting prowess, Far-West and Mid-West Nepal had an uninspiring mentor in Uttar Pradesh.

From anecdotal evidences I saw on my brief trip to Banke district (which includes Nepalgunj and the burgeoning highway town of Kohalpur), sports in the Mid-West is waking-up.

The tide has already turned in one area – women’s sports. The successes of womens’ national teams in football and certainly in cricket have been fueled by a roster stacked with Western ladies. Embarrassingly, that is the one sports development question this so called sports development expert forgot to ask during my trip – “Why is the Mid-West producing so many female athletes?” I’ll be sure to get the answer soon.

Oshonik Club is one club that has contributed to the development of womens sports in the region. For several years they have been conducting football clinics for girls across Banke district. With dozens of lady footballers as alumni, they now have a strong pool of players to form teams from and as expected do very well in womens and girls tournaments in the region. Club officials decided to begin with ladies football training as they felt it would be easier to manage compared to boys training which tends to be rife with egos and indiscipline.

Now though, the club has become gender neutral as they have also begun under-12 training for boys. There are currently around 35 trainees who are practicing at a small field owned by a local private school. The club hopes to branch out its training to other neighborhoods of Nepalgunj to increase accessibility.

Oshonik Club's Under-12 training

Oshonik Club and its president Bhoj Raj Sahi have some big plans for the future and look to emulate best practices of similar types of clubs from across the globe. As superstition dictates it’s better to show than to tell, so I’ll have to keep their ambitious plans under wraps for now. Let’s just say this is one club in Nepal that “gets it”.

A few kilometers north of Nepalgunj I visited the public field in Kohalpur town. One of the strongest teams in the district – Siddhartha Club was training there. Who said they don’t play football in Western Nepal? The boys from Siddhartha looked the part and were as good as any local level football club I have seen. If they are a representative snapshot of what the Western regions have to offer – then the big Kathmandu Valley based clubs would do well to send a few scouts over there.

Siddhartha Club training in Kohalpur

This was a football centric trip but while I was touring the government sports complex back in Napalgunj I bumped into national badminton player Anil Lakhe who was training around two dozen under 12 boys and girls inside the covered-hall. I immediately assumed he must be a sports teacher at a rich private school and coaching a few of his well-to-do students. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that on his own initiative he was developing an academy style training program, open to all, to groom the next generation of badminton players. Much like Bhoj Raj Shahi and a few others I had met on this trip, Anil seemed to have a certain fire and spirit about him which surely is good news for the future of sports in the Mid-West.

A brief chat with football friends from Banke

Certainly all these anecdotes are not out to prove that Nepalgunj/Banke is fast becoming the People’s Republic of China of Nepali sports. They face all the same sporting sector challenges that virtually every area in Nepal faces and I am sure had I spent more time there I would have come across the darker side of sports in the region. But while sport in many parts of the country is flatlining, it is good to know that at least in this one corner it has a pulse.

Nepalgunj sports complex

2011-04-27T13:01:00.004+05:30

Nepalgunj Stadium is actually quite nice in the Nepali context. It has a permanent wall around the perimeter thus the pitch is relative undisturbed. The running track built for the National Games has deteriorated but still provides a circuit for jogging. There is one small elevated VIP area on one side and a small 1,000 person stand on the opposite side. Overflow crowds sit on the grass areas around the field. If a team from Banke makes it to the ANFA National League the stadium should be adequate enough to host matches.

The covered hall is actually quite big - again, in the Nepali context. There are three badminton courts marked on it. As the wooden floor is worn-out and not level it is doubtful that any team sports like basketball or handball can be played inside it. There is one 500 person stand on one side of the hall.

Outside the stadium there is what looks like a 5-a-side football field. At the time this photo was taken there were some martial artists training on it. The sports complex also has a gym and shooting range, but they were locked when I visited.

I Love Nepali Football

2011-04-06T23:55:00.003+05:30

The I Love Nepali Football t-shirt promotion reminds me a lot of the Be The Reds campaign in Korea during the 2002 FIFA World Cup (how could anyone forget it? Wink, Wink!).

The initiative, spearheaded by GoalNepal, is creating decent buzz. On Facebook quite a few die-hard football fans have changed their profile photo to the I Love Nepali Football logo. A few hundred fans are expected to be wearing the t-shirts at the AFC Challenge Cup being held in Kathmandu this week. As I alluded to a few weeks back, Nepal never has really had much of a supporters culture, so it is really encouraging to see someone try an initiative like this.

An amazing ride with Nepali sports

2011-04-01T12:22:00.009+05:30

Rangasala Blog achieved its 2^nd anniversary last month. To celebrate I’ve written a special post about how Nepali sports have impacted my life. Enjoy!

I’ve been involved in Nepali sports for around 14 years and it’s been absolutely amazing!

To make a very long story short – living in the USA I was starved for Nepali football news and presumed there were many people like me out there, so in 1997, as a freshman in college, I created a website dedicated to Nepali soccer called Nepal Football Homepage.

Through Nepal Football Homepage I developed links with many people in the international and domestic sports sector. One thing led to another and for the next 14 years I’ve been actively developing, covering, and following sports in

Nepal

and it’s been a phenomenal experience in so many ways.

Taking in a view of the tea fields of Ilam

Discovering Nepal

Having been raised in the USA for the majority of my life Nepal basically meant Kathmandu and the only Nepalis I knew were my relatives. That has all changed now.

Through my involvement in Nepali sports I’ve gotten to know so many people I would never have – athletes, businessmen, journalists, sports officials and most importantly – sports fans!

I’ve had the good fortune to travel to many corners of this gorgeous country and experience its rich cultures and customs. I probably now know

Nepal

a lot better than many Nepalis do!

Making a difference

When your relatives are stuffing you with food every chance they get and you encounter so many smiling faces on the roads of Kathmandu often the depth of poverty in

Nepal

is not glaringly apparent. Through my experiences in Nepali sports I’ve come to realize that acquiring just a single ball, a single boot, a coaching manual or a copy of a rulebook is actually quite a big deal to many.

Donating equipment to a girls team in Urlabari, Morang

I remember once visiting Ramailo Sports Club, a club based in a far flung village in Morang district. They were the DISTRICT FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS, but the club had no more than two or three footballs, which were all quite old and worn-out. Half their players did not have football boots, their coach had never seen a football instructional book or video in his life and their uniforms were basically the bibs that the District Football Association would loan them on match days.

With the help of friends and acquaintances and for an amount that is probably less than what I spend on junk food every year, I’ve been privileged enough to able to donate sports equipment and materials, organize workshops and offer guidance to various sports enthusiasts and entities in Nepal. The projects I’ve assisted on have given sporting opportunities to many youths and helped develop players, coaches, officials, clubs and sports associations, including several that have gone on to make a mark on the national and international stage.

Understanding Nepal

Through sports I’ve experienced the good, the bad and the ugly of

Nepal

. I’ve had many wonderful encounters and met some amazing people. I’ve also been cheated, robbed, tricked, misled, used, abused, taken advantage of. I’ve been embroiled, front and center, in messy sports politics and have had to navigate many roadblocks and unnecessary hassles even for the most trivial things.

It has been fulfilling and frustrating, thrilling and at points blood boiling. The experiences have helped me understand Nepal better – how things work in the country and why things don’t work in the country. Three years and no national constitution in sight – it makes sense to me now.

Friends for life

After working 14 years in a field, undoubtedly you make quite a few friends. I’ve now got Nepali sports buddies from Mechi to Mahakali – well at least up to Seti Zone (Dhangadhi), and internationally from Milan to

Malaysia

. They include some of my best friends today and my business partners, all of whom I met as a result of my involvement in Nepali sports.

Racing rickshaws in the Terai

It’s pretty surreal to know that in over 30 different districts in

Nepal

I’d probably have at least one sports related friend that I would be able to sit down and have a cup of tea with. One time when I travelled from Biratnagar to Bagdogra Airport in Darjeeling I stopped at 7 different points (Duhabi, Itahari, Patri, Urlabari, Birtamod, Dhulabari, Kakarbhitta) to meet the many friends I had all along that route. The 140 kilometer journey took over 8 hours and I nearly missed my flight home!

Job experience

Nepali sports opened a lot of doors for me. As Nepal Football Homepage was the first Nepali football website, many international media were quick to contact me when needing information on Nepali soccer. I started developing a significant network of sports industry professionals from around the globe.

Meeting with NPC officials at AFC House

I wrote articles for FIFA, AFC, FourFourTwo magazine and assisted several sports TV programs. Machhindra Club brought me on as an advisor to their Executive Board and I helped them find sponsors and develop their marketing.

I leveraged all this experience and was admitted into the FIFA Master program and then was hired by the Asian Football Confederation as a Development Officer. Now I’m in Hyderabad running my own company that develops sports related web applications.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

Being involved in Nepali sports has been fun. I’ve watched Nepali teams and athletes play in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and

Singapore

. I’ve gone on excursions all across

Nepal

. I’ve been invited into many homes and been able to taste all sorts of cuisine (Jhapali wild boar being my favorite! Thank you Pankaj dai!).

I’ve also had many interesting conversations, heart warming interactions, and yes, even a couple of very wild nights.

Get involved!

Nepali sports have been awesome to me and I would encourage anyone that is passionate about sport to get involved. Certainly there are many challenges and undoubtedly you’ll encounter many bumps on the road – that’s just a part of life in

Nepal

these days. Take it all in stride and be persistent and through Nepali sports you are sure to have many memorable experiences, meet some wonderful people, make a positive difference and have loads of fun along the way.

Mahindra Bansbari

2011-03-25T18:08:00.003+05:30

Looks like Mahindra Bansbari Club went all-out to give their sponsor added value. This is refreshing to see as most Nepali clubs are only in search of a quick handout and not a long-term partnership with their sponsors.

The north Kathmandu side have also launched an official website. Bansbari is one of two non-departmental 'A' Division sides, Jawalakhel Youth Club being the other, that have their own training ground.

Photos taken without permission form the official Mahindra Bansbari Club website.

Fan culture

2011-03-23T10:05:00.011+05:30

I was quite excited when I came across the photo below on Facebook. Bixon Tamrakar, a devoted Three Star Club supporter, created his own flag which he proudly displays at TSC matches. Shockingly this is quite rare in Nepal. You almost never see any fans carrying flags and banners or wearing jerseys of their favorite Nepali clubs at home, on the streets or at the stadium.

There just isn't any color, camaraderie or pageantry at our grounds, thus usually most matches have a very dull atmosphere. As a result, unless you are truly football 'pagal' or a low-life hooligan, there really is little attraction in going to games.

We need a lot more fans like Bixon to make Nepali football more festive and vibrant. For this clubs need to play their part. I've long chastised our clubs for not doing ~~enough~~ anything to develop their fan base. It starts with the fact that most clubs do not even have a recognizable logo or permanent color schemes.

Add to this the non existence of club merchandise (jerseys, hats, flags) and the lack of affiliated fan groups and you have a recipe for the bland atmosphere at football matches. Furthermore, clubs are basically forfeiting valuable ticket and commercial revenues by ignoring fans. Compare the two photos below. Which match would you buy a ticket for? Which teams' jersey, IF AVAILABLE, would you more likely purchase?

Give real youth clubs priority

2011-03-09T08:58:00.000+05:30

The Nepal Bank Junior League was a real missed opportunity for Nepali youth football. The tournament basically resulted in a two week controversy filled “natak” that achieved little. Just think about it, the team that won the youth tournament – Three Star Club, does not even have a youth football program.

Instead of inviting these fraudulent youth teams, would it have not made more sense for the organizers to give an opportunity to participate to clubs like Sahara (Pokhara), Madhyapur Youth Association, Shining Sun Football Academy (Dhangadhi), Social Welfare Sports Center (Nayabazar), that have been running youth football training for many years?

Read the full article at GoalNepal.com

Busy, busy, busy

2011-02-16T11:10:00.002+05:30

As many of you might have noticed, I have been taking it easy with Rangasala Blog lately. I’m quite tied-up with my day job so I have not really had the opportunity to closely follow and write about Nepali sports as much as I would like. In the near future I’ll probably just be posting once or twice a month - I’ve got bills to pay after all.

Football "pagal"

2011-01-12T11:10:00.001+05:30

How crazy are Nepalis about football? They climb trees to watch games!

Photos with permission from Sudarshan Ranjit

Mechi Badminton Club

2011-01-05T18:32:00.002+05:30

I paid a quick visit to Mechi Badminton Club when I was in Kakkravitta, Jhapa last week. MBC with the support of their city council is building their own badminton complex. The total cost is estimated to be around 4 crores, a quarter of that coming from the local government.

MBC has started an after school "academy" for under 14 year-olds. Currently 31 kids are training daily and they are hoping a few of them develop into nationally ranked players. The club is keen on hosting high level badminton tournaments at their under-construction complex in the near future and are already organizing a regional level tournament this month.

Mechi Badminton Club's endeavors are some of the many positive stories in Nepali sports at the grassroots level. Unfortunately, initiatives such as theirs often go unnoticed and are overshadowed by the negative headlines of the squabbling and mismanagement by our top level officials. It's always good to be reminded that there are still a lot of good guys in Nepali sport.

Referee course

2010-12-28T08:55:00.008+05:30

I attended an Introductory Referee Course for youths of Morang District over Christmas weekend. It was exciting to observe the enthusiasm of the young participants and wonderful to see that youths as young as 16 were being given an opportunity by Biratnagar Sports Club (formerly known as Morang Football Project) to learn about refereeing.

I was equally surprised to learn how little knowledge they had of basic football rules before they started the course. One of the older participants had been refereeing for over 5 years at district level and did not even know the offsides rule properly, for example. Unfortunately, most Nepali sports associations solely focus on participating in international tournaments and pay little if any attention to development. Courses - be it refereeing, coaching or administration are as rare as the one horned rhino. It's no wonder why virtually every football match in Nepal spirals out of control. Fans, players, coaches, administrators and sometimes even the referees just don't know the rules. Hopefully more courses like this will help them get up to speed.

On second thought...

2010-12-17T17:10:00.012+05:30

I wrote a very nasty post titled "Our own worst enemy" blasting Nepali athletes and officials for their overly negative mindset. Realizing the hypocrisy in publishing such an article, I've since deleted it. Not only should our sportsmen have a positive approach, so should fans and bloggers.

Himalayan Golf Course

2010-12-04T04:41:00.001+05:30

Nepal's own Pebble Beach:

Photos from Nepal Sports Photo

Asian Games wrap

2010-11-27T21:01:00.002+05:30

Now that I have your attention, a few quick hitters on the Asian Games:

Amazing opening and closing ceremonies.
China's dominance must be really deflating to the other competitive nations. You're basically playing for a silver medal in 50% of the events.
Maybe adding Australia to the Asian Games will help make things more competitive.
While Nepal's overall performance was disastrous, we need to salute the many athletes who achieved national records and personal bests.
Defeating a Thai Boxer is impressive.
Lots of reasons for Nepal's feeble performance, the greatest being a lack of knowledge or curiosity about sports development amongst our sports leaders.
Calling Nepal a Martial Arts nation is like calling Hungary a football nation.
What made Nepal's performance in the Martial Arts so pathetic was that Pakistan, India and Afghanistan all were able to garner at least a Silver Medal.
Nepali Cricket choking act continues.
Media coverage by the Nepali press was quite good. Ajay Phuyal was on fire.

Asian Games

2010-11-11T06:24:00.002+05:30

The Asian Games take place November 12 to the 27th in Guangzhou, China. This is perhaps the best litmus test for Nepali athletes as the Olympics are too exclusive and the South Asian Games too erratic. In total a 140 Nepali athletes are competing in 20 different sports.

Beyond the martial arts and possibly cricket, winning a medal will be a herculean task for Nepali athletes. Even in the martial arts we are no longer one of the top sides in our own region. Nonetheless it is good to see many of our athletes taking a positive approach to the games, understanding the value of achieving personal bests and not obsessing over medals.

I was at the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand and it was both thrilling and enlightening. It was my first time watching Nepali athletes in something other than football. I experienced Nepal's formidable performances in the martial arts including Sabita Rajbhandari's historic silver medal triumph in Taekwondo. On the flip-side, for the first of what would be many times to come, I witnessed the rotten politics/mismanagement of Nepali sports when visiting many of our other teams. In essence the Asian Games bring out the best and worst in Nepali sport. It gives us champions and leaves us with controversies.

Here is a link to the Asian Games official website.

ANFA needs to develop coaches

2010-10-28T08:56:00.001+05:30

"How to develop Nepali football?" That is easily the most common question I get asked when I meet football fans in Nepal. The answer is actually a simple one: develop coaches!

"That’s it?"

Well no, that’s not "it", but that is the basic starting point for developing a strong football program. Great facilities, foreign training, Adidas Predator boots, high salary, 1 kilo of Khashi ko Masu a day, Pulsar motorbikes don’t create great players, qualified coaches do.

Read the full article at GaolNepal.com

Tika and Ticket?

2010-10-15T07:32:00.003+05:30

In places like England and USA some of the biggest sports events are held on holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Boxing Day and Easter. In Nepal however holidays basically mean a shutdown of any sporting activities. As an example that is why the football league is always held after Dashain and Tihar as sports officials are reluctant to organize events during their holidays.

Where others see a problem, I see opportunity! Holidays are when everyone is free from work/school and together with the family. Wouldn't that be the perfect moment to organize a big sporting event? Call it "Tika and Ticket". It would be a great chance for families to bond and enjoy the passion of sport. It would also provide an opportunity for people returning home to reconnect with their local club, be it a Pokhareli watching Sahara Club or a Jhapali viewing Munal Club. Slowly, a tradition will develop where people know that a given holiday is when xyz sports event is played.

The negatoids will have their excuses, after all making excuses is the biggest sporting tradition in Nepal. Players and officials will also be at home, people will be busy with pooja, etc, etc. Certainly there needs to be some dedication to pull it off. A sportsman needs to decide what is more important for them, the love they get in their village or the glory of playing in front of 30,000 fans. Unfortunately Nepal's sports culture is still at a state where commitment to a sport comes down the pecking order after family, pooja, school and disco-dance bar. Perhaps having sports events during holidays could help slowly change that attitude.

Happy Bijaya Dashami!

Mascots

2010-10-10T19:23:00.004+05:30

Below is a photo of the mascots of the 5th National Games. I'm pretty amazed that they had multiple mascot costumes made as they can be quite expensive.

It would be great if all Nepali football clubs had their own mascots, but maybe that is too ambitious for clubs who can't even be bothered to play in their own colors.

Photo taken from the MOYS website

Hardball in the Himalayas

2010-09-27T17:40:00.004+05:30

As a Nepali-American I've always halfheartedly had the idea of developing the "Great American Pastime" - baseball, in Nepal.

Well, a student from Poole Gakuin University in Osaka, Japan - Kyohei Fujioka, has been doing just that for the last few years, mostly at secondary schools in Pokhara. There is now even an All Nepal Baseball Association and a Nepali team will be competing in the South Asian Baseball Championships in Pakistan in December.

Nepal Sports Photo

2010-09-22T16:52:00.000+05:30

After a few months in the wilderness, Udipt Singh Chhetry, sports photographer for The Himalayan Times, is again updating his fantastic website - Nepal Sports Photo. As some may recall, Udipt was fuming at people using his watermarked photos, including some prominent newspapers.

I'm a huge fan of Udipt's as he is one of the few sports photographers that understand the art of photo journalism. Glad to have him back.

Bansbari Club "Face-hooked"

2010-09-16T09:29:00.001+05:30

Bansbari Club, the newly promoted "A" Division side, and my local club, has a case of "Facebook-itis". They can't seem to stop posting on their Facebook page these days. It's great to see another Nepali club using social media to promote themselves.

Para-Athlete award

2010-09-15T04:17:00.003+05:30

My favorite Bajaj Pulsar Sports Award organized by NSJF is the Para-Athlete award. Glad to see one sports related body in Nepal thinking outside the box.

This year Arjun Kumar Sapkota, who lost one hand in an accident, won the award for his accomplishments in differently-abled table tennis.

Photo taken from Nagarik News

Where's the dedication?

2010-09-11T18:38:00.009+05:30

A few weeks back I called a promising youth footballer who has been training daily at a local academy since the age of twelve to see how he fared in the ANFA-HISSAN Program trials for the top SLC passed youth soccer players in the country. I was disappointed to learn that he had not tried-out for it as he never got news of the trials (Did he not read the newspapers? Every single one had an article about the ANFA-HISSAN Program).

Because I was a admirer of the player, I told him that I could speak with a few ANFA coaches and have them look at him privately to see if he was up to the mark. The kid however told me that he was a bit busy these days with "other commitments" and that he'll try-out some other time. What?! The kid's goal since the day I met him was to become a professional footballer, but with opportunity sitting right before him he was not even bothered to grab it.

This had me thinking - does Nepali sport lack dedication? Let's not confuse dedication and sacrifice. Yes, almost all Nepali sportsmen make great sacrifices - be it sacrificing time, money, education and family to pursue their passion in a sector where there is little reward and tons of struggle. But after that sacrifice, do they have the dedication to reach the top? To do whatever it takes to be the best they can at their sport.

By dedication I don't mean just working hard, but going over and beyond what others are doing. Practicing 1,000 hours to improve your sprinting speed by 1,000th of a second.

A player waking up everyday at 5 in the morning and shooting 500 jump shots with his weaker hand to improve his overall game
A coach reading Arsene Wenger's (coach of Arsenal FC) biography to just get one extra insight into top class coaching
An official spending hours on sports websites to find that cutting edge idea to develop his sport

I have met countless Nepali sports persons - be it players, coaches and officials, and sometimes I really wonder where the dedication is. Players who don't even know their biceps from their triceps. Senior coaches who have not picked-up a coaching manual in 10 years. Officials who don't even have an email account or know how to use a computer.

Maybe it's not so much the lack of money, facilities, and foreign training that is hindering Nepali sports, but a lack of dedication.

Corinthians

2010-09-10T08:29:00.004+05:30

I dream of a day when a Nepali club could put together such footage. What would a comparable Three Star or NRT video look like?

PS - Corinthians is the biggest club in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Nepal’s dumbest sports official?

2010-08-29T07:29:00.009+05:30

Note: I have changed some scenarios and details to protect the identity of the accused (e.g. when I write “his sport” it could mean his club, organization, district, event, etc.)

I went to meet Nepal’s dumbest sports official (NDSO) the other day. I didn’t know he was NDSO until this meeting with him. I had briefly met him in the past, but never long enough to really formulate an opinion on him. After this meeting however, I am convinced the guy must truly be NDSO. Here’s the story:

I called NDSO to arrange a meeting as I wanted to discuss a few issues with him regarding his sport. NDSO was thrilled to receive my call and told me that he was anxious to meet as there were lots of pressing things he needed to discuss with me. I was therefore a bit dumbfounded that NDSO was not at his office at the time we had agreed to see each other.

I called NDSO’s mobile and he said he was “just down the street” and would come pick me up within 5 minutes. Thirty minutes later NDSO finally arrived in his motorbike, without a helmet on (which is against the law in Nepal). We then rode down the street to his second office I guess - a local drinking establishment.

At the hotel NDSO introduced me to some of his “pals”. It was only 10 in the morning and his buddies were already hitting the moonshine. I was offered some breakfast - Whiskey on the rocks - which I kindly declined.

For ten minutes NDSO and his friends talked amongst themselves about various topics unrelated to sports, completely ignoring me. It was as though NDSO forgot that I was there. Feeling neglected, I finally asked NDSO if we could go to another room and talk in private as I had a few things I needed to discuss with him. “Oh yeah, of course – sure, why not,” was his reply and we proceeded to an adjacent room.

I first asked NDSO if he had received the sports equipment I had sent him some time ago. He scratched his head for a moment, then acknowledged receiving the equipment but pointed out that he was not exactly sure where he put it, but that it was in good hands.

NDSO then started rambling-on about how many of the people I am working with in Nepali sports are incompetent, unprofessional and corrupt. He suggested that I should work with him more closely as he is far more honest, hardworking and cutting edge than the rest.

I politely told him “Let me think about it” and asked NDSO to give me his email address so we could stay in touch. He told me because he was so busy he did not have time create an email account and that I should just call him on his mobile whenever I needed to get in touch with him.

During our talk NDSO’s mobile kept ringing. It turns out he had scheduled an executive committee meeting for his sport at the exact same time as our appointment. Seeing he was in a difficult position, I told NDSO that I had to go and that I would stay in touch with him.

NDSO started whining about how I never make time for him and that we never have had a chance to properly sit down and talk. He continued to ramble-on – mentioning how he had great vision, networks and determination and could do wonders for Nepali sports, but was simply limited because of the lack of money. He then proceeded to pay the bill for the breakfast gathering which was around 3000 Rupees!

The meeting was over and visions of Jim Carrey came to my mind.

Pokhara Stadium

2010-08-27T13:09:00.002+05:30

Looks like Sahara Club got a lawn-mower. This will be a very nice venue for the National League.

Photo courtesy of Sudarshan Ranjit

Nepali sport hurt by a lack of Commonwealth

2010-08-17T00:02:00.004+05:30

Could the stalemate against the Brits in the Anglo-Nepalese War have hurt Nepal's sporting prowess?

The Commonwealth Games torch arrived a few days back in my present home in Hyderabad and it had me thinking about Nepal's absence from the various Commonwealth sporting galas.

Beyond the SAG and Asian Games, most of our SAARC neighbors also participate in the high level Commonwealth Games and other Commonwealth sports meets. This gives their athletes increased opportunities to achieve glory and develop their sporting prowess. Meanwhile our sportsman are sitting at a chiya pasal in Tripureswor drinking tea and eating biscuits.

Despite Gurkhas serving in the British Army for over a hundred years, Nepal has no constitutional links (heck, we don't even have a constitution right now!) to Britain, thus we do not qualify to be a Commonwealth Nation. If we had been swept-up by the British Empire, we would probably all hold Indian passports today (oh dear!). So it's all a bit of a catch 22.

ICC World Cricket League Division 4

2010-08-14T09:02:00.005+05:30

Nepal continues on its quest to qualify for the 2015 ICC World Cup. The World Cricket League Division 4 takes place in Bologna, Italy from August 14-20.

Nepal plays:

USA (August 14, rescheduled to the 19th)
Italy (August 15)
Tanzania (August 17)
Argentina (August 18)
Cayman Islands (August 20)

You can follow the action on the ICC Official Website and the Italian Cricket Federation site. Live commentary is available on Cricinfo. There are also several active Nepali cricket blogs:

MMC to Pokhara?

2010-07-31T13:35:00.004+05:30

MMC created a lot of buzz this week with their press conference announcing the big-money signings of virtually all of Nepal's best players that do not play for Nepal Police Club. Despite all the fanfare, the fact of the matter is that MMC still has a long way to go. They still do not train regularly or have a training ground, youth academy or club store - all basic prerequisites to truly call yourself a professional club.

As long as MMC is based in Kathmandu none of those short comings will change. The Valley is just too chaotic and filled with too much negativity to implement bold ideas. I was thus pondering, how awesome would it be if MMC moved to Pokhara.

It makes too much sense! MMC already has a massive following among the large ethnic population in Pokhara and unlike other Kathmandu based clubs, they do not really have a geographic footprint in the Capital, so relocating to Pokhara is not going outrage any communities in Kathmandu.

As potentially the only "A" division club that would be located in Pokhara, MMC could generate a lot of support from fans and businesses in the city. Pokhara Stadium would be packed to the brim for each one of MMC's home matches meaning lakhs and lakhs of revenue for the club. Starting an academy and ancillary football activities would be a million times easier than it would be in Kathmandu. As for the other Pokhara team, Sahara Club - most big cities in the world have several big clubs, so Pokhara would be no different. Hopefully Sahara Club would be inspired to start playing in the Martyr's League after witnessing MMC truly become Nepal's first professional football club.

Is a national football league viable?

2010-07-14T18:56:00.002+05:30

A popular topic among Nepali football enthusiasts is the viability of a national football league. Virtually every country in the world holds a national league, but in Nepal our football league basically is a championship for Kathmandu valley based clubs. As a result 90% of the country is deprived of the opportunity to witness top level football on a regular basis. Clubs are the heart of football, so with 90% of the country lacking a first division club the pulse of Nepali football is a flat-line.

Read the full article at Goalnepal.com

Dharan or Itahari?

2010-07-11T09:02:00.006+05:30

There is a big war going on between Dharan and Itahari to land a regional stadium funded by the Government. Previously, I wrote about how I welcomed the politics that is going on between the various cities looking to land the stadium, but now that rivalry seems to be getting a bit out of hand.

As someone quite familiar with Eastern Nepal, I personally believe that Itahari would be the better location for a stadium. For a "regional" stadium Itahari is ideally placed as it is right on the East-West Highway and 30 minutes drive from Biratnagar Airport. The town is equidistant to Dharan and Biratnagar and Saptari and Jhapa districts are easily accessible. Itahari is also located in the plains, so unlike in Dharan, finding a large flat plot of land is not an issue. Dharan already hosts the ANFA Eastern Technical Centre (first photo below) and has an open ground (second photo below) where the Budha Subba Cup is held, so Itahari is much more needy when it comes to sporting infrastructure. Either way, let's hope a stadium gets built sooner than later.

What are your thoughts? Which city do feel should get the stadium? (Goalnepal.com is reporting that the stadium will go to Itahari)

I've run out of material

2010-07-10T17:03:00.003+05:30

Sorry guys for the lack of posts recently. After writing over 200 articles in under 18 months I've kind of run out of material. Every time I think of writing a new piece, I realize I've touched on the subject before. For example currently the Coca-Cola School Football Championship and several basketball tournaments are taking place. I've already written about my issues with the school tournaments in Nepal and how basketball is the game of the youth. Every day there is another scandal in Nepali sports, but who wants to read another negative piece about our incompetent sports officials?

If you have any topic ideas or a subject you would like me to write about please post it in the comments section.

Nepal in the World Cup

2010-06-13T10:48:00.003+05:30

Can it happen? Absolutely it can!

The naysayers will always bring-up excuses - we're too poor (Honduras?), our players are too small (Messi?), it will take generations (North Korea?), Nepal is too corrupt (Cameroon?), our facilities are pathetic (Nigeria?) - but the fact is many countries with our resume (as highlighted in the parentheses) have achieved what many believe to be impossible.

A recent Price Waterhouse Coopers report stated, "If a country has a strong footballing tradition, then finding 11 international-class players should not be that difficult even from a population of just a few million".

We do not need hundreds of world class footballers, we just need 11 good ones. If we have good scouting, strong coaches and a solid youth football system (ANFA Academy fails on all three counts), we can definitely create a competitive team. As countries like North Korea, Togo, Jamaica, Trinidad, New Zealand and Honduras have shown, once you have a competitive team, with a bit of good fortune, anything can happen - even Nepal qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. (Photo with permission from Sangesh Shrestha)

Jesus loves you

2010-06-04T07:34:00.000+05:30

Found this amusing photo taken by Sangesh Shrestha at the British Gurkha Cup. Some may recall a post I wrote some time back about Jesus and Nepali sports.

English footballers and the Gurkhas

2010-05-23T22:02:00.009+05:30

English soccer star David Beckham paid a visit to British troops in Afghanistan. He played some football with a group of Gurkhas and even participated in a prayer with them (notice the Kata scarf around his neck). The kick-around and Buddhist prayer can be seen at the end of this video clip. Beckham is not the only England star that is a fan of the brave Gurkhas. Wayne Rooney has also enlisted a Gurkha to help him out during the World Cup.

Football on the hills

2010-05-21T10:41:00.001+05:30

During my visits to Darjeeling I was quite intrigued by the football fields there. They provide a template for how football fields in the hills could look like. As you can see, the lack of grass is the big issue. I wonder if that has to do with the quality of the soil or maintenance costs. Regardless, Brazilians learn their football on the streets and in the beaches, so just having a field to play on would be immense for Nepali footballers in the hills.

Sweet sports blog

2010-05-18T00:20:00.012+05:30

Lots of interesting posts, photos and comments on Sweet and Sour About Nepal Sports Scene Blog.

The recently launched blog is written by an active sports insider (who wishes to remain anonymous) so it provides lots of juicy tidbits about the goings-on in Nepali sports. Unfortunately the big problem with all the various Nepali sports blogs popping up these days is that the people that should really be reading them – our sports officials – seldom use the Internet.

New Road for Nepali football

2010-05-15T15:03:00.001+05:30

New Road Team’s return to Asia did not go according to plan. They were pretty much out of the tournament the moment the 40 degree Dhaka air smashed against their faces at Zia International Airport.

Though their results on the field were abysmal, the club’s off the field approach to the tournament, according to reports, was quite professional. From tailored suits to new training gear and even a full compliment of medical staff, Nepal’s oldest football club did its best to try to enter the modern era of football. Let’s hope that the results do not discourage NRT from bringing that professional mindset back to Nepali football. Sustained professionalism will undoubtedly pay dividends in the future.

Maoists for Manchester?

2010-05-06T09:49:00.001+05:30

Maoist cadres decked-out in Manchester United shirts. Are the Glazers up to something in Nepal? :)

Photo taken from ekantipur.com

Nepal golf on the up

2010-05-02T00:06:00.000+05:30

Officials from Tiger Sports Marketing (TSM), the organizers of the recently concluded Surya Nepal Masters, had very positive views on Nepali golf when I coincidentally bumped into them on my Delhi bound flight. A lot of their comments reaffirm past golf related posts on Rangsala Blog. According to TSM there is a good youth development program in place, the Pokhara golf course is one of the most beautiful in the world and the domestic golf tour is a great starting point to develop the game domestically. They also mentioned that Nepal has a bumper crop of tour pros and that there were plans to extend the Airport Golf Course to 18 holes (though the Nepal Airport Authority (CAAN) have other ideas in mind).

Just money is not the solution

2010-05-01T00:02:00.002+05:30

ANFA loves to boast about the prize money and gifts it has been securing for its clubs and players. Nepali clubs will share over Rupees 80 lakhs in next year’s league and while other sports associations are handing out tracksuits to their stars, Nepali footballers are getting TVs, motorbikes and now even a house. There is no two ways about it, this is all very positive for Nepali football and Ganesh Thapa and company deserve some jerri and juice for their efforts. However, ANFA needs to understand that money does not solve all problems...

Full article available at Goalnepal.com

Dressed for the occasion

2010-04-30T00:08:00.010+05:30

National lady footballers in matching saris for the post South Asian Games award ceremony. Very charming.

Photo taken from Republica

Football in our genes

2010-04-29T09:08:00.000+05:30

Kansas City Wizards and Indian striker Sunil Chhetri says his Nepali mother taught him everything he knows about football.

Nepal Basketball Association logo

2010-04-28T19:09:00.000+05:30

The NeBA logo (see background) is pretty nifty. One of the better sport association logos.

Photo taken from Nepalisports.com

Professionalism

2010-04-18T19:29:00.004+05:30

Winning and losing is often separated by the smallest of margins. A few inches, a moment of concentration or an inspired coaching decision could mean the difference between riding inside a mini-bus back to your village or on top of one in a victory parade around the streets of Kathmandu.

Those small margins come from getting the edge over your opponent - technical edge, psychological edge, physical edge, tactical edge, organizational edge and the intangibles edge. While our teams and athletes might be technically on par with their opponents, in the other areas we lag far behind, thus we keep struggling to get over the hump.

That's where professionalism comes in. Professionalism isn't just about making a good living off of sports, it is about getting the edge. Professionalism is when:

a coach is more interested in a coaching manual than a tracksuit
a player is spending more time in the gym than on Facebook
a referee understand that knowing how to communicate is as important as knowing the rules
the government realizes that you help athletes to succeed and not after they have succeeded
sports officials go abroad not to shop for their relatives but to shop for new ideas to develop their sport back home
a club is just as focused on developing its administrative team as its playing team
fans understand that you encourage your players and not rag on them

That's what professionalism is about and that's what will give players and teams the edge to get over the hump.

Looking for passionate Nepali sports bloggers

2010-04-16T22:30:00.001+05:30

Lots of Nepali sports related blogs have been sprouting all over the World Wide Web recently. While it is great to see so many people giving their paanch paisa on Nepali sports, for readers sorting through the various blogs can be tougher than walking around Ason on a Friday evening.

In light of this, Rangsala Blog is now open to anyone who is passionate and opinionated about Nepali sports. We want to be the home of Nepal's top sports bloggers. If you have something important to say about Nepali sports, say it here! We're looking for strong opinions, original content and a different take on Nepali sports.

If you're interested in writing on Rangasala Blog please contact us at rangasala(at)gmail.com

Nepali cricket - still a long way to go

2010-04-10T14:43:00.014+05:30

Once again Nepali cricket failed to produce when it mattered most. Sure an optimist can always find silver linings - be it the fact we reached the finals of the ACC Cup, won the WCL Division 5, or the brilliant performances of Nischal Pandey in the the ACC Under 16 Elite Cup - but in plain terms we are nowhere near where we should be given our geography and the massive popularity of cricket in the country.

For the countries we compete against in the lower rungs of international cricket, the sport is merely a recreational opportunity for immigrants and expats. A majority of their population do not even know that the sport exists and you would be hard pressed to find any significant local media coverage for it.

We should not be competitive with the likes of USA, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong - we should be destroying them. Yes, some of these teams are packed with non-nationals, but if we want to play against Afridi and Dhoni we need to easily be able to depose their little brothers. With the resources Nepali cricket has access to (and I'm not simply talking about money), we should at least be an ODI nation and in the same company with Ireland, Canada, Netherlands, Scotland, Kenya and Afghanistan.

What is ailing Nepali cricket then? (And virtually every other sport in the country for that matter). PROFESSIONALISM! More on that in my next blog post in a weeks time. Until then Happy New Year to all of you.

Competence at sports associations

2010-04-04T18:20:00.009+05:30

If you meet a Nepali sports official, a standard line you will most likely hear from them is how no one with a shred of competence is willing to work in the sports sector. Thus as a great sacrifice to sport and country they must continue to serve as the guardians of their sport to protect it from leaches and infidels.

Sukuti! (Guess that would be the equivalent to ‘Bologna’ in Nepali)

Nepal has plenty of passionate and talented people who would be more than enthusiastic to help uplift sports in the country. If you don’t know any, then you probably have spent half your life inside the corner MoMo shop and the other half at Ranjana Cinema Hall. Basically you're living in the dark.

The dirty little secret is sports officials are terrified to bring in competent people into their associations. They know it may expose their own incompetence and could cause cracks in their well guarded fiefdoms. Therefore creating a dysfunctional sports organization suits them perfect, because that is exactly what will drive away the overachievers and protect their lands from invasion.

Articles lack creativity

2010-03-28T18:51:00.008+05:30

Those who follow Rangasala Blog know that I have been quite complimentary of Nepali Sports Journalists lately. There have been a host of wonderful human interest sports stories in the press recently. The latest is a fantastic article by Pratichya Dulal.

However one thing Nepali sports pieces sorely lack is wit and creativity. Reading Nepali sports articles is the equivalent of swallowing sleeping pills. We hardly ever see the headlines, nicknames, drama and humor that makes reading British and American sports articles so enjoyable. Sports editors and journalist in Nepal really need to add some masala to their work - create interesting storylines, develop an aura around athletes, give readers a reason to smile.

I give credit to Bikram Thapa, the editor of Goalnepal.com, as his website is one of the few media outlets that lets loose. From silly phrases ("Lemon Break", "Peep!", "Smell a Rat"), to quirky lines ("600 seconds gone in the match"), to witty nicknames (APF=Gunners, NRT=Road Runners), Goalnepal.com is an entertaining destination. Other publications need to follow suit.

ANFA Website

2010-03-20T15:21:00.004+05:30

During my school days in the USA I dreamed of the day ANFA would launch an official website so that I and those like me could easily follow Nepali football. Well over a decade later my dream has finally come true and it has turned out to be a nightmare.

Last week Three Star Club launched their official website. I was curious to see who designed it and that took me to the website of Longtail E-Media. On their site I noticed a screen-shot of what looked like ANFA's website. I presumed that Longtail were designing the ANFA site and sent an email asking them when it would be launched. To my surprise, I received a reply stating that the ANFA website had been up and running for over a year! The fact that a Nepal football jihadist like myself had no clue the site existed just begins to tell the story of what is wrong with the ANFA website.

Besides never properly publicizing it (were they ashamed of it?), the website is hardly updated, filled with spelling and grammar mistakes, several pages remain empty and the "Nepal Football History" section is a cut and paste from Wikipedia. I could go on, but I know no one at ANFA really gives a damn, so no point wasting anymore bandwidth on this topic.

Nepali Sports and Facebook

2010-03-14T18:32:00.002+05:30

As you can see by all the links on the left side column, Nepali sports' presence on the World Wide Web is steadily growing. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Facebook. To give you an idea - on Facebook I am a member of 20 pages or groups, and friends with around 200 people related to sports in Nepal.

The entities that I follow include clubs (Three Star, Machhindra), websites (Cricket Nepal, GoalNepal.com) athletes (Deepak Bista, Hari Khadka), sports journalists (Binod Pandey, Niranjan Rajbanshi) and fans.

If you are a Nepali sports lover, you really need to join Facebook. It is great place to not only get news and information, but to feel the pulse of Nepali sports. On the Three Star Club page you can witness the frustration of their fans with their poor start to the season. There is another page that chastises Cricket Association of Nepal's player selections. There was even a public tiff between a newspaper and a sports photographer.

Facebook is a boon for Nepali sports in another important way. As the Nepali sports fraternity continues to be active on the Internet it will link them with the broader sports world, providing them with much needed sports knowledge, networks and role models. For example, already many Nepalis are following Shillong Lajong FC through Facebook because of Anil Gurung, the club’s Nepali striker. As they continue to monitor the endeavors of a progressive club like Shillong, undoubtedly a few Nepali sports persons will pick-up some ideas and implement them domestically, thus helping raise sports standards in the country.

As a side - a lot of the blurbs and links I used to post on this blog, I now only post on Facebook and Twitter. So be sure to follow Rangasala Blog on those social networks.

Martyrs League football

2010-03-07T09:53:00.018+05:30

A few thoughts on the Martyrs League so far:

Competition
With 12 clubs and virtually no lightweights (i.e. Bansbari Club, Brigade Boys) this is the fiercest league in memory. Any team can win on any given day. Many might point to the exodus of star players from the big clubs as to the reason why, but even the less fancied clubs like Machhindra and Jawlakhel have had to completely reload their rosters. Hopefully ANFA will leave the number of teams at 12 or reduce it further to ensure a strong level of play. There just is not the need or enough talent for more teams in the top flight.

Attendance
Crowds have been disappointing, but perhaps it is a reflection of Nepal today. With constant bandhs, security issues, and chaotic transportation system – people are just not willing to make an effort to attend matches. Having games everyday kills the novelty of going to the stadium, but with the AFC Presidents Cup looming ANFA has little choice but to conclude the league as quickly as possible.

Players
With so many players leaving Nepal for opportunities abroad, a lot of new players have had to fill the holes. Most of them are settling in quite well. It proves that there really is not much difference in the standard of players across the country. In a way it is an indictment on our top players who still take an amateur approach to their careers, thus they are only marginally better than the rest of the pack.

Clubs
Have they done anything to really develop themselves? They continue to treat football as a hobby. Their lack of professionalism is highlighted by MMC replacing their famous sky blue and white striped jerseys (see photo below left) with a bland blue shirt they found at the Adidas store (see photo below right). If they can’t even get their club colors right, how can we expect bigger things from them?
Update: MMC have gone back to playing with their traditional kits. Hurray!

Finally playing again

2010-02-27T17:00:00.006+05:30

This week was the first time in a long time that I have been able to enjoy Nepali sports. The last few years following domestic sports was just not fun. Everything sports related was either dogged by incompetence, scandal or politics. All that has not suddenly disappeared, but with the start of the Martyrs League football tournament after a 3 year hiatus and Nepal hosting an ICC level tournament for the first time - the Nepali sports scene does seem to be coming out of hibernation.

Yes, the quality of both the Martyrs League and World Cricket League is very poor compared to what we can find on ESPN and StarSports, but the games can be just as exciting. The beauty of sport is that when you have two evenly matched teams, no matter what their level, usually it is an exciting affair. Add some rooting interest - the Nepal National Cricket Team and Machhindra FC in my case - and suddenly the adrenaline goes up several notches.

For the said reason, in general I find it unnecessary to harp on results too much. You win some, you lose some and sometimes you lose a ton. We do not need the Martyrs League to be the Premier League or for our Cricket Team to rival India immediately. What we do have the right to expect are regular competitions and our officials and sportsmen giving it their all. That has been the major issue with Nepali sports recently - instead of playing we are fighting, stealing and making excuses.

Thankfully, at least for one week, we are playing - and its been a lot of fun. Nepal won the WCL 5th division in front of record crowds and league football is back with my Red Lions roaring. May the trends long continue. (Photo with permission from ICC Official Website)

World Cricket League

2010-02-20T17:00:00.001+05:30

I was all set to post a piece I had written about the Winter Olympics but changed my mind at the last minute. This morning I got a case of cricket fever.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the running score of Nepal's match against Jersey in the World Cricket League on a Nepal1, the only Nepali TV channel available here in Hyderabad. Immediately, I went searching for Internet links to the game and found that the ICC has a great section dedicated to the tournament with lots of features, photos and videos from Kathmandu. There are also a few prominent Nepali cricket blogs where one can follow the tournament. The Cricket Association of Nepal website is hopeless - I don't think they update it anymore.

The tale of the websites (and Nepal1 TV) reflects the story of Nepali cricket - great interest, great potential, but an underwhelming Association - an opinion that is shared by a few friends I have that are very close to Nepali cricket including some National Team players.

But I remain very positive about Nepali cricket. Unlike Nepali football, those associated with cricket in Nepal have a slightly higher IQ and are capable of moving the sport forward. The technical nature of the game makes it possible to quickly be competitive. Our greatest asset is our geography – cricket’s super power and cash cow is right next door to us and we have the strongest cultural, social and economic ties to them of any country in the world.

One year of Rangasala Blog

2010-02-16T00:01:00.028+05:30

It's been one year since my first blog entry. I can't believe I have written over 176 blog posts since then. Is there anything left to write about? I think in the second year I will take it a little easy. Maybe write one blog post a week - giving readers some time to digest the material ;-)

If you are really starved for more commentary, be sure to also follow Rangasala Blog on Facebook or Twitter where I post additional news, views and links.

Thank you all for your support (and criticisms). I'm having a lot of fun with this and I hope somehow the blog is making a positive contribution to Nepali sports.

The "M" word

2010-02-14T19:38:00.004+05:30

In my last trip to Nepal I noticed how afraid sports persons were to use the "M" word - money. They would talk at length about various sports ideas they had, but never would you hear words such as profit, income, salary and business.

It's like profiting from sport in anyway is a deadly sin in Nepal, which is quite ironic as that's what most of our sports officials are doing under the table. Perhaps if we were more open about making a good living through sports we would witness less of the shenanigans we currently see in the sports sector. I have heard stories as low as one sports official watering down orange juice for youth players so he could save a few rupees for himself.

Stealing and corruption is wrong, but being entrepreneurial or getting paid for handwork is right and should be promoted. If officials are doing a great job, they deserve a salary. If a sportsman has a business idea related to sport they should receive our encouragement. A thriving sports economy visa-vi player agents, sports marketing agencies, sports academies, etc. will only enhance Nepali sports. It will bring increased professionalism to the sports sector and create a much needed job market for those in the sports sector. Making money through sports is a good thing.

South Asian Games wrap

2010-02-11T00:33:00.002+05:30

Quick thoughts on the South Asian Games:

By claiming 8 golds Nepal did pretty much as expected. No better, no worse
Nepal can no longer claim itself as a regional martial arts power - all the big boys won as many medals as us in the martial arts disciplines
Other than womens football no sport made a breakthrough which was very disappointing and leaves us with little to be optimistic about for the future
Mens football = MAHA FAIL! Ganesh Thapa and company really need to reevaluate ANFA's development strategy. Please stop blaming referees and the lack of a short, 3 month long, league.
Our officials continue to show their amateurish nature: fighting each other, fighting referees and failing to do their basic administrative duties
Nepali media coverage was quite good. The journalists seemed to be on top of all the news.
Was very disappointed that there was no real-time results website for the SAG
Nepal has a long way to go in becoming an ICC ODI nation
I am very curious to see how Bangladesh does in the next SAG. Their gold medal tally was surprisingly high. Was it simply a case of "home" cooking
How amateur were the organizers? Marathon circuit 5km short, upside down Nepali flag, wrong national anthem, etc.
I know its politically impossible, especially these days, but NSC should really just concentrate on a few core sports and stop funding sports like hockey where we are beyond hopeless
With India sending second class athletes and still dominating the SAG, the organizers need to reevaluate the competition format. Perhaps it should be an under-23 tournament for all sports

What are your thoughts on the Games?

South Asian Games disaster

2010-02-02T09:13:00.000+05:30

Only three days in and there is so much to write about the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka. Everything seems to be going wrong for Nepal - from crashing elevators to squabbling officials; from players attacking referees to upside down Nepali flag. Oh...and our performances have been absolutely abysmal!

I'll be sure to put together a nice long article after this fiasco is over. See you guys in a few days. In the mean time here are a few links to stay on top of the games:

Great photos from Dhaka at Nepal Sports Photo
First class coverage in Bangladesh's leading English Newspaper - The Daily Star
11th SAG official website

Photo: Young Nepali fan at Rangasala

2010-02-01T00:02:00.014+05:30

I absolutely adore the picture below which Jumanu Rai posted on his Facebook account. I'll definitely have to get my little girl into that set-up when I take her to Rangasala in a few years time.

Prize money

2010-01-30T00:17:00.000+05:30

Lots of cash rewards are on offer to Nepali athletes that bring home a medal from the 11th South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The amounts range from a few thousand to several lakhs Rupees depending on the sport and the color of the medal.

Would Nepal win more gold medals at the South Asian Games if athletes were offered a million dollars for each gold medal? Similarly, if not a single rupee was on the table to the sportsmen, would they simply give-up? The answer to both questions is no. The lure of prize money does not change an athletes performance - strong coaching, good facilities, regular competitions and peace of mind do.

Disregard for best practices

2010-01-26T19:40:00.003+05:30

Virtually every self help book will tell you that role-modeling is a shortcut to attaining success. If you want to be a great speaker - watch Bill Clinton. If you want to make money - read Richard Branson's autobiography (actually it's not that great, but you get the idea). Similarly, if you want to develop football in a country wouldn't it make sense to emulate what they are doing in Brazil, England, Germany, Japan and even Maldives?

This is what is so frustrating about Nepali sports and specifically football. The keys to success are out there for everyone to see, but our administrators are hell bent on unlocking doors using a paper clip.

Take for example the recent British Gurkha Cup, basically Nepal's equivalent to the FA Cup. Virtually every country has an FA Cup which is usually open to only registered football clubs. ANFA, in its infinite wisdom, however, decided to let in rag-tag unregistered regional teams and a Maoist PLA side which has never participated in the Martyrs League before gatecrash the tournament. What ensued were lopsided scorelines that took the luster off of an otherwise pretty decent tournament.

Similarly, Nepali football clubs have decided to allow five foreigners to be signed for the upcoming Martyr's League. As avid readers of Rangasala Blog will know, AFC has encouraged leagues across Asia to adopt 3+1 rule (three foreigners plus an extra Asian foreign player) when it comes to the signing of foreign players. Most leagues across Asia have or are in the process of adopting this rule, but Nepal's football officials don't seem to care.

It is one thing if the rules were being adjusted to address the specific needs of Nepali football, but as we all well know this has nothing to do with finding solutions for Nepal's football peculiarities and everything to do with how completely out of touch with international football many of our football officials are.

Domestic: Great cricket marketing, Tracksuits for athletes, Website links

2010-01-22T00:03:00.044+05:30

A fantastic promotion idea in Dhangadi to pull in the crowds for a local cricket tournament. National sports associations need to be similarly creative.
Giving tracksuits to athletes continues to be a big deal (there are three different links to stories about tracksuit handovers just in that one sentence). Why not pool all the small donations given to sports associations and do something really amazing for a change - like building a training center. American universities have been doing this for years through booster clubs.
Here are links to the Friends Club and Nepal Darts Association websites.

International: SAG website, Cameroon football kits, Indian sports development

2010-01-20T00:01:00.011+05:30

The official South Asian Games website. Looks promising, but we'll know for sure when the tournament starts.
Some awesome football kits launched by Puma for the Cameroon National Football Team. Unfortunately, ANFA does not even bother putting a flag or logo on the shirts they buy from Bhadrakali (actually, I think they actually buy it from the Adidas store).
A list of recommendations from FICCI to the Indian sports authorities.

Foreign training

2010-01-18T13:14:00.001+05:30

Nepali athletes are racking-up frequent flyer miles as they are being dispatched across Asia to further their training for the South Asian Games. Sending athletes for foreign training is virtually a minimum requirement for sports associations these days. Even low profile sports that have no shot at a medal are mustering the resources (usually through grants from the National Sports Council) to send their sportsmen abroad.

The priorities of some of these sports associations are questionable. Many of them fail to organize regular competitions and events domestically, but are insistent that their athletes must have access to international training. Would not the money made available for foreign excursions be much better spent if it was used to develop their sport domestically first?

Ironically, getting NSC to release money for domestic purposes might be a lot tougher than receiving one big fat check to send a few athletes abroad, but that is where sports officials need to wheel and deal to earn their stripes.

The international exposure from foreign tours certainly has many short and long term benefits – there is no denying that. By going abroad athletes have access to better training facilities, the opportunity to learn modern/different techniques, and the experience of travelling and facing foreign competition. But you have to learn to walk before you can run and many sports associations in Nepal need to do a lot more at home before venturing abroad.

Cricket gets a boost of colors

2010-01-12T00:13:00.002+05:30

It is nice to see that the six regional sides in the ongoing Boost Under 16 Cricket League are playing in distinct colored uniforms. I made a post a few months back about how dull domestic cricket in Nepal is. Certainly identifiable uniforms is one way of spicing things up. From a marketing stand point it makes sense for each region to continue wearing the same colors across tournaments. It would make them identifiable and potentially help develop fan and player affinity towards the regional sides.

Photos courtesy of nepalsportsphoto.com

Aaha posters

2010-01-08T00:01:00.000+05:30

The posters for the Aaha Gold Cup are very "Aaha" looking. It looks like Sahara Club put the logos of every special interest in Nepal on them. Who can blame them?

SLC stunting player development?

2010-01-06T00:07:00.001+05:30

I was surprised to find out that one of the more promising talents at Morang Football Project has not been coming to practice for the last few months. He is under house arrest by his parents as the School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams are fast approaching.

This is the case for nearly half-a-million Nepali teenagers a year. SLC exams mean total lock-down. No hobbies, no sports and even going to the toilet requires mom's permission.

While most interests can easily be pursued after SLC, elite sports is a different animal. A few months or years in the wilderness can severely hamper if not extinguish a players dream of becoming an elite athlete.

The current mindset that sports and studies cannot mix really needs to change. In the USA and many other "sports rich" countries the situation is quite the opposite - unless your parents are Asian of course. Youth are encouraged to participate in sports and other activities throughout the school year. Perform in a school play Friday night, basketball match Saturday afternoon and exams Monday morning. No sweat!

Photo: Elephant soccer

2010-01-05T08:16:00.004+05:30

Elephant soccer photo from the Kathmandu Post:

ANFA's New Year's resolutions

2010-01-01T09:06:00.003+05:30

From putting the national flag on uniforms to starting a women's league, here are ten achievable goals for ANFA in 2010. My latest article for Goalnepal.com.