Pema Choden Tshering dreams big. “My vision for women’s football in Bhutan is to use football as a catalyst and tool to change and improve the lives of everyone involved,” the 26-year-old told DW. “Obviously results count at the end of the day and that’s why I want our senior and youth teams to do well at regional level and then do well at continental level over the next five to six years.” Tshering is a footballer and an official in one person: in the national team she plays in midfield, in the football association of Bhutan (BFF) she has been responsible for women’s football since 2022. It helps her to know both sides, says Tshering: “If football can continue to develop, this must also happen off the pitch.”
Bhutan is a football developing country
Almost 780,000 people live in the small Himalayan state, which is about the size of Switzerland, 80 percent of them at an altitude of over 2,000 meters. When it comes to football, Bhutan is a developing country. There are only about 20 artificial grass pitches that can play 11 vs. 11. All international matches will be played in the capital, Thimphu, at a good 2,300 meters above sea level in the Changlimithang National Stadium, which can accommodate 15,000 spectators. In recent years, many privately owned small pitches have been built in Bhutan because this has turned out to be a lucrative business, reports Tshering.
Bhutan has only been a member of the world football association FIFA since 2000. In its ranking, the men’s national team of Bhutan is currently in position 185 (of 211), the women’s team in position 177 (of 187). There has been a national league for men since 2012 and one for women since 2016, in which nine teams recently competed against each other. Last season, which ended in January, the league was won by Paro Women’s FC (WFC), a club from a town of around 15,000 people. A tenth club will join the league next season: Bumthang WFC from a district in the north of the country.
All international football home games of the Bhutanese team are played in the national stadium in Thimphu
In 2022, 219 female footballers were officially registered with the BFF. “Most of the players come from the bigger cities,” says Tshering. However, the association tries to reach places in the country, often at high altitudes, with its programs.
For the first time at the Olympic qualification at the start
The BFF is committed to promoting young talent. In addition to the men’s performance center in Timphu, there has also been a soccer academy for girls and women in the city of Gelephu, in the very south on the border with India, since 2015 – with an artificial turf field and weight room. The Bhutanese national teams are trained there from the U14 juniors upwards. The most talented players are selected for the academy at regular intervals.
Former South Korean international Hong Kyung-suk has been in charge of the senior national team since June 2022. Before the South Asia Championships in Nepal last fall, she intensified her training six days a week. It paid off. The team, who had mostly been beaten up to that point, achieved their first notable success: Bhutan defeated Sri Lanka 5-0 in the preliminary round and qualified as group runners-up behind Nepal for the semi-finals of the tournament. There, however, the later tournament winner Bangladesh was a size too big. The Bhutanese lost 8-0.
The national coach could still be satisfied. Her team continues to focus on “improving playing skills, building more muscle power and playing faster than before,” Hong told DW. In April, the national team will start for the first time in an Olympic qualification: for the 2024 Games in Paris. In the first round of the Asian continental association AFC, the opponents are Uzbekistan (49th in the world rankings), East Timor (153rd) and Jordan (69th). Bhutan is an outsider. “I think it will be a great lesson and experience for our girls,” says Pema Choden Tshering, “and a good platform to find out where women’s football in Bhutan stands on a continental level.”
Equal Pay – on shaky feet
The national player would not have to struggle with prejudice in her home country: “We have a very liberal society in which gender, religion, caste, etc. have no influence on career choices. An example: darts, a traditional sport that used to be was only played by men is now very popular with women. There are even many women who take part in darts tournaments.”
Tshering comes from a football-mad family: her father Hishey Tshering is president of capital city club Thimphu City FC, for which not only Pemba Choden but also her brother Orgyen Wangchuk Tshering plays. The 23-year-old midfielder belongs – like his sister – to the national squad of Bhutan. Both the “Dragon Boys” and the “Dragon Girls” receive a monthly salary of 30,000 ngultrum, the equivalent of almost 350 euros. “While the more dominant footballing nations are making waves in their fight for equal pay, our Dragon Girls are fortunate to have equal pay [wie die Männer – Anm. d. Red.] without having to fight for it,” declares the Bhutan Football Association proudly on its website.
The salary is slightly above the average salary for a government official, says Tshering: “The problem, however, is that you can lose this income overnight through injuries or loss of form and then have to retire from the sport.” Therefore, many players prefer to rely on a more secure job. “One of the biggest challenges for football in Bhutan, not only for women’s football, is the fact that it is very difficult to make a living from the sport. This means that the pressure from family or society is very is tall and an academic education is preferred.”
First Bhutanese footballer at foreign club
But perhaps that too will change if the upward trend in Bhutanese women’s football continues. In any case, national coach Hong sees “unlimited potential” for women’s football in the country. According to the 37-year-old, she would like Bhutanese women to play football not only in their home country but all over the world. The starting signal for this has been given. Deki Lhazom is the first footballer from the Himalayan state to earn her money in a foreign league. The 19-year-old international signed on for a year in Saudi Arabia last autumn with top club Al-ittihad FC.
In Bhutan, too, there are now a few who could make a living from football, says Pema Choden Tshering: “We hope that this will inspire others and become a turning point for football in Bhutan – even if it takes some time.” There is still a lack of sponsors, especially in women’s football. “Because the financial resources are very limited, many girls give up football at a certain age. So it’s a big challenge to keep the players engaged.”
To ensure that this succeeds, Tshering is currently developing a strategic plan for the next four years with the support of FIFA. In order to achieve sporting success, women’s football in Bhutan shouldn’t play second fiddle, but should come to the fore, says the international and official: “The question should always be: ‘How is women’s football doing?’ and not ‘Oh, we forgot about that’ or ‘Let’s wait for someone to bring it up’. It should be given the same priority and importance as men’s football.”