Bhutan National League

Bhutan National League
Country  Bhutan
Confederation AFC
Founded 2012 (2012)
Number of teams 6[1]
Level on pyramid 1
Relegation to None
International cup(s) AFC Cup
Current champions Thimphu City
(2016)
Most championships Yeedzin,
Ugyen Academy,
Druk United,
Terton,
Thimphu City
(1 title each)[2]
2016

The Bhutan National League, for sponsorship reasons known as the Bank of Bhutan National League is the top level of football competition in Bhutan. It replaced the A-Division in 2012 as an attempt to create a genuinely national competition. The A-Division continues to exist, but now serves as a qualification tournament for Thimphu-based teams for the National League. The National League took over responsibility for providing Bhutan's entrant for continental competition, with the winner currently earning a place in the AFC Cup.

Format

The National League is a standalone football competition, that operates as the highest level of football in Bhutan. It consists of six teams, four of which are based in Thimpu, with the remainder coming from other districts. The four Thimphu-based teams compete in the A-Division, which was previously the top league in the country, but now serves as a qualifying tournament for the national league. Competing teams in the league play each other twice on a home and away basis. Previously, when the A-Division was the country's top league, all matches were played at Changlimithang, the country's national stadium, making "home" and "away" distinctions essentially moot. Whilst the Thimphu-based teams still play their matches at that ground, the regional teams maintain their own stadia and genuine home and away fixtures now take place.

Three points are gained for a win and one for a draw with no points for a loss. The team with the highest number of points is declared the champion. If two teams finish on equal points then goal difference is used to determine the winner, with goals scored being the next criterion considered if goal difference cannot separate the teams.

There is no promotion or relegation from the league. Thimpu-based teams are decided based on their performance in the preceding A-Division competition, and past performance in the National League has no bearing on whether a team will compete the next season. Consequently, it is possible to have a team competing in AFC continental competition that has failed to make the National League. There is no qualification round for regional teams.[2] Some form of football whereby national champions were crowned was played between 1996 and 2000, but it was only in 2001 that the A-Division was created.[2]

History

League competition in Bhutan got off to a slow start. Although a full ten-team league was set up in 1986,[3] there seems to have been little or no organised football for the next ten years. Between 1996 and 2000 there was some form of organised football, but it is not clear the extent to which this involved teams from outside of Thimphu.[2]

In 2001, the A-Division was created as a football competition for teams in Thimphu and was the premier league in the country, supplying the Bhutanese representative to the AFC President's cup. The first season of the A-Division essentially took the form of a national competition, closely mirroring the current format of the National League.[4] A qualifying tournament was held for teams from Thimphu (in which a team from Paro also competed, the top teams from which the progressed to a Super League which also included teams from Samtse and Gomtu and would have included teams from Phuentsholing and Chukha District had they not withdrawn.[4]

However, this was the last time for over a decade that teams from outside of Thimphu would be involved in football at the highest level in Bhutan. In 2011 the A-Division was played only as a single round-robin set of matches in anticipation of the establishment of a true national league.[5]

This did not occur though and it was only in 2012 that the inaugural competition took place, a six team league consisting of the top three teams from that season's A-Division representing Thimphu, namely Druk Pol, Yeedzin and Zimdra, together with Phuentsholing (representing Chukha District), Samtse (representing Samtse District) and Ugyen Academy (representing Punakha District).[5] The inaugural league commenced having signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola worth Nu 3 million in total,[6] along with further sponsorship from Tashi Beverages, Druk Air, Zimdra Food and Samden Group,[7] with the aim ultimately to have a football team playing in the National League from each of the 20 Dzongkhags according to the Bhutan Football Federation.[7] Thimphu dominance of Bhutanese football continued initially, with Yeedzin winning the first National League title.[5] Along with the title, they received Nu 400,000 in prize money, with second-place Druk Pol receiving Nu 200,000 and Ugyen Academy Nu 100,000 for their third-place finish.[7]

However, teams from outside the capital city soon proved that they could compete with those who had considerably more top flight experience the following season, as Ugyen Academy became the first non-Thimphu team to take the title,[1] and with it the Nu 400,000 in prize money, with second and third place teams Yeedzin and Thimphu City taking Nu 200,000 and Nu 100,000 respectively.[8] Unfortunately, the number of teams based outside of Thimphu decreased in 2013 following the withdrawal of Samtse, a situation which continued in 2014 following the withdrawal of Phuentsholing as well, although they were replaced by Bhutan Clearing, competing for the first time in the National League.[9] In an attempt to attract more non-Thimphu teams into the competition, the federation increased the prize money from Nu 400,000 to 700,000 for the winners. First runners up would be given Nu 400,000, up by 200,000 from last year and the second runners up would be awarded Nu 200,000, double from last year’s prize.[10] No place is awarded to the team finishing in first place this season for the AFC President's Cup. This is because 2014 is the final edition of the cup to be held. Instead, the six teams which qualify for the 2014 AFC President's Cup final stage will enter the 2015 AFC Cup play-offs, and from 2015 onwards, centralized qualifiers will determine six teams which enter the AFC Cup play-offs.[11]

Most recent participants (2015 season)

Location of teams participating in the 2015 Bhutan National League.

A total of six teams competed in the league: three teams representing Thimphu, who qualified as a result of their final positions in the 2015 A-Division, and three teams representing other districts.

Past Winners

Bhutan National League Winners
Season Winner Runner-up Third place
2016 Thimphu City Druk United Ugyen Academy
2015 Terton Thimphu Thimphu City
2014 Druk United Ugyen Academy Thimphu City
2013 Ugyen Academy Yeedzin Thimphu City
2012–13 Yeedzin Druk Pol Ugyen Academy

Performance

Bhutan National League winners by teams
Team Winners Runners-up Third place Years won Years runner-up Years third
Ugyen Academy 1 1 2 2013 2014 2012–13, 2016
Yeedzin 1 1 0 2012–13 2013 —
Druk United 1 1 0 2014 2016 —
Thimphu City 1 0 3 2016 — 2013, 2014, 2015
Terton 1 0 0 2015 — —
Thimphu 0 1 0 — 2015 —
Druk Pol 0 1 0 — 2012–13 —

References

  1. 1 2 Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (20 Feb 2014). "Bhutan 2013". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Schöggl, Hans; Abbink, Dinant (28 May 2014). "Bhutan – List of Champions". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 July 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. ↑ Burns, Peter; Makdissi, Albert (31 July 2003). "Bhutan 1986". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 Schöggl, Hans; King, Ian (31 Jul 2003). "Bhutan 2001". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (19 Sep 2013). "Bhutan 2011". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Phuntsho, Tashi (14 December 2012). "National football league kicks off today". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 Phuntsho, Tashi (25 February 2013). "Yeedzin FC wins 2012 Coca Cola league championship". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  8. ↑ Phuntsho, Tashi (25 November 2013). "Ugyen Academy FC win national league by a single point". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (22 May 2014). "Bhutan 2014". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  10. ↑ Phuntsho, Tashi (8 July 2014). "Drukpol FC-4, Druk Star FC-2". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "ACL: East vs West final proposed". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03.
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