2014 Bhutan National League
The 2014 Bhutan National League was the third season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced the A-Division (Bhutan) in 2013. Again, the A-Division provided the qualifiers, with the top four teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside regional teams. The league was sponsored by Coca-Cola.[1] Druk United won the Championship on goal difference from Ugyen Academy and, as a result of the abolition of the AFC President's Cup, will be the first team from Bhutan to take part in the AFC Cup.
| Season | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Druk United |
| Relegated | None |
| AFC Cup | Druk United |
| Matches played | 29 |
| Goals scored | 106 (3.66 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Druk Pol 6–1 Bhutan Clearing, Druk United 5–0 Druk Star |
| Biggest away win | Bhutan Clearing 0–16 Thimphu City |
| Highest scoring | Bhutan Clearing 0–16 Thimphu City |
| Longest winning run | 4 – Druk United Ugyen Academy Thimphu City |
| Longest unbeaten run | 4 – Druk United Ugyen Academy Thimphu City |
| Longest losing run | 4 – Bhutan Clearing |
← 2013 2015 → | |
A-Division
The 2014 season started on 8 March 2014 and ended on 4 May 2014.[1] Druk United won the A-Division and were joined in the National League by Thimpu City, Druk Pol and Druk Star.
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Druk United | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 15 | +25 | 28 | 2014 Bhutan National League |
| 2 | Thimphu City | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 26 | |
| 3 | Druk Pol | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 21 | |
| 4 | Druk Stars | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 17 | |
| 5 | Dzongree | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 27 | −15 | 12 | |
| 6 | Yeedzin | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 27 | −7 | 11 | |
| 7 | Bhutan U-18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 40 | −27 | 3 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Results
Note 1: The notion of home and away fixtures in the A-Division is moot as all games are played at Changlimithang Stadium. As such, for the purpose of this table, the first result chronologically has been deemed that team's "home" game and the second the "away" game.
National League
This season, 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.[2] 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.[3] Since Ugyen Academy lost all three of their games in the 2014 competition, there will be no Bhutanese representative in the AFC Cup until at least 2016.
The national league has struggled to attract spectators though, with only around fifty people attending matches, even when top teams are involved.[4] This is in contrast to prior years when large crowds would come to Changlimithang even for inter-school tournaments and this downturn in spectator numbers has been attributed to the widespread availability of foreign leagues on television providing a much greater level of entertainment.[4] Additionally, difficulties in obtaining visa's for foreign players to play in the National League inhibit its attraction to local spectators. Thimphu City attempted to bring a player in from the English Premier League, but were unable to do so because of visa issues.[4]
Teams
Druk Star
Druk United
Thimphu City
A total of six teams competed in the league: four teams representing Thimphu, who qualified as a result of their final positions in the 2014 A-Division, and two teams representing other districts.
- Bhutan Clearing (representing Chukha District)
- Druk Pol (third place in the 2014 A-Division)
- Druk Star (fourth place in the 2014 A-Division)
- Druk United (winners of the 2014 A-Division)
- Thimphu City (runners-up in the 2014 A-Division)
- Ugyen Academy (representing Punakha District)
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Druk United (C) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 14 | +19 | 22 |
| 2 | Ugyen Academy | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 22 |
| 3 | Thimphu City | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 21 |
| 4 | Druk Pol | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 15 |
| 5 | Druk Star | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 7 |
| 6 | Bhutan Clearing | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 53 | −47 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Results
A number of the results above are disputed. Druk United v Thimphu City was also reported as a 5–0 win for Druk United, not 4–0. Druk Pol were reported to have beaten Bhutan Clearing 6–1, not 6–0. The match between Druk United and Bhutan Clearing may have finished 4–0 to Druk United, not 4–1. Some reports indicate that Thimphu City in fact scored two goals in their away match against Ugyen Academy and lost 4–2 not 4–0 and Bhutan Clearing have been reported as losing 5–1 not 5–0 in their home fixture against Druk United.[5]
References
- Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (22 May 2014). "Bhutan 2014". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
- Phuntsho, Tashi (8 July 2014). "Drukpol FC-4, Druk Star FC-2". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
- "ACL: East vs West final proposed". the-afc.com. Asian Football Confederation. 25 November 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
- Phuntsho, Tashi (26 August 2014). "Where are the spectators?". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
- Stokkermans, Karel (18 September 2014). "Bhutan 2014 – National League 2014". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 25 September 2014.