The Bhutan Higher Secondary School Championship 2024 for U-19 boys and girls from across Bhutan is drawing to a close in Sarpang, while for Championship for U-19 ended today. This tournament serves as a platform to identify talented players who will undergo advanced training at the Boys’ Football Academy in Changjiji, Thimphu, and the Girls’ Football Academy in Gelephu. These young athletes will represent Bhutan in upcoming international tournaments.
A total of 81 teams—both U-16 and U-19—comprising boys and girls from 19 districts are competing in the National Football Championship in Sarpang. The participating teams are winners of their respective district-level championships.
From this tournament, 22 players each for the U-16 and U-19 boys and girls will be selected. In total, the 88 players selected from this championship will undergo specialised training at the Boys’ Football Academy in Thimphu and the Girls’ Football Academy in Gelephu.
These players, chosen under close scrutiny by the technical committee, will be assessed for their physical fitness, tactical skills, and technical ability to represent Bhutan in international matches.
Kinley Dorji, Head of Competition Department at Bhutan Football Federation said “We have a selection committee that includes coaches from the Bhutan Football Federation’s Technical Department, along with Japanese coaches and an Indian analyst. The selection process begins at the quarterfinal stage.
Chencho Dorji, Technical Director of the Bhutan Football Federation said “The objective of this to involve the school children during the winter break, and from the federation perspective is about talent identification for the national teams. So we just wanted to find the talented players to make them good players to represent the youth national team in future.”
The championship, jointly organised by the Ministry of Education and Skills Development, Bhutan Football Federation, and Pepsi Bhutan.
The excitement builds as young athletes prepare for the finals, dreaming of making their mark on the national and international stages.
Karma Wangdi, Sarpang
Edited by Kipchu
