28 October 2010

ANFA needs to develop coaches

"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

15 October 2010

Tika and Ticket?

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!

10 October 2010

Mascots

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