New Nepal Super League

After Kathmandu Rayzrs caused a stir by winning the inaugural Nepal Super League (NSL), football leaders are bullish about the NSL’s impact in the South Asian nation.

The Rayzrs beat Dhangadhi FC 1-0 in the final of the three-week long tournament to secure the title in May.

ANFA President, Karma Tsering Sherpa, describes the NSL’s first edition as “a milestone for professional football development in Nepal” amid concerted efforts to grow the “beautiful game”, the country’s most popular sport.

“It attracts huge crowds, be it a local game or international. It is organised at every level and is much-loved everywhere. Fans in Nepal are crazy about their team and their players,” says Sherpa, who pays tribute to the “tremendous hard work” of NSL chairperson Ashrayata Karki Chaudary.

FIFA’s chief objectives in helping to create the league were fostering youth development in Nepal through football and assisting ANFA in building a sustainable business model.

Sanjeevan Balasingam, FIFA Director of Members Associations Asia & Oceania, says: “Nepali football had long been plagued by governance issues with the result that there were no leagues organised for four successive years until, using FIFA Forward funds, the Martyr’s Memorial League was revived in 2018-2019.

“It was an important stepping stone that needed to be established before the first franchisee-based football league in Nepal could be launched.”

FIFA helped ANFA to formulate a strategic plan for the league, and football’s governing body also encouraged the association to embrace good governance measures by way of revising its statutes and employing best-practice financial accounting and oversight.

The league’s opening season, Sherpa says, “helped to connect the fans with the game they love and the players they follow. NSL has helped Nepali football reach new heights and given such a high level of competitiveness in the games.”

Holding night-time games under floodlights was an innovation for Nepal and, though crowds were not allowed in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament attracted huge audiences on television and across social media platforms.

Another first for Nepali football was the involvement of sponsors partnering with the league to unlock new revenue opportunities.

Nirvana Chaudhary, managing director of league sponsor CG Corp Global, highlights the benefits of the NSL “for youth development through sports”, noting that the league attracted stakeholders from the private sector and the participation of Nepal’s provinces.

The NLS’s seven teams played six matches, with the top four teams qualifying for the play-offs. The top two contested one play-off to book a final spot; the winners of a third- and fourth-placed match met the losers of the first play-off for the other final berth.

League organisers introduced rules around player recruitment and club spending to ensure fair competition. Players were placed into three categories, with each club allowed to sign one marquee player. The clubs could also each sign three foreign players. All other players were allocated through an auction.

Sherpa says the participating clubs were “happy” with the tournament but offered suggestions for improvements for the 2022 season. They called for an increase in preparation time and for the competition to be spread over a longer period.

Next season sees the addition of one more club, although the format is likely to remain the same. Sherpa said the league organiser, Nepal Sports and Events Management, is looking at ways to improve NSL broadcasting and sponsorship.

Sherpa says the 2021 edition is the launchpad to grow the NSL for the next five years and beyond. He cites benefits to Nepali football as the NSL will be a showcase for local players to then play abroad and will help with the  scouting of players for the national team.

“We hope to cash in on this and further improve the quality of the game and the tournament in five years’ time,” he says.

“Though we took a hit financially in this edition of the NSL, we are grateful towards FIFA for the financial assistance they gave for the national team, allowing it to travel by chartered flights to Iraq for a preparatory match and then to the venue of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers’ second round, arranged in a bubble format in Kuwait.”

Asked how the new league would develop football at elite and grassroots levels in Nepal, Sherpa says discussions have taken place with NSL clubs to establish their own football academies and run grassroots programmes.

“We are also planning to implement the club licensing certificate with the clubs. We want the NSL to help make football more professional in the country,” he explains, adding that agreements have been reached with the NSL to spend the income it generates on youth football development.

For FIFA, the NSL marks a huge step towards addressing some of the issues facing Nepali football. With the support of the FIFA Forward 1.0 Programme, ANFA has upgraded football facilities across Nepal, including the first-ever girls’ football academy in Rautahat, and has organised grassroots activities. Plans are underway to construct a national centre of excellence in Pokhara.

FIFA’s Balasingam says the ongoing success of the Nepal Super League will “encourage other nations to adopt similar models”.

Speaking of the potential for more sponsors and commercial partners, he adds: “We aim for sustainable development and would like more corporates and teams to be involved with this league over time.”

FIFA is also keen on ANFA developing a franchisee-based league for women.

“The long-term goal is for the holistic development of Nepali football so that the Nepal national teams and club sides become more competitive at the Asian level. This would ensure the commercial potential of the clubs and member association is greatly strengthened,” Balasingam concludes.