Football: Bhutan's allrounder aiming to lift country higher

Pema Choden Tshering has big dreams. "My vision for Bhutan women's football is to really use football as a catalyst and tool to enhance, change and improve the lives of everyone involved in women's football," the 27-year-old told DW.

"Of course, results matter at the end of the day and hence, I want our national senior and youth teams to perform well regionally in the next five or six years and then also make an impact at a continental level."

Tshering is an allrounder in the most literal sense of the word: she plays in midfield for Bhutan's national team, while also being in charge of women's football in the country's football association.

Tshering says it's helpful for her to know both sides of football. "For football to progress, it must go beyond the pitch."

Bhutan's football developing

About 780,000 people live in the small Himalayan country and 80% of them reside more than 2,000 meters above sea level. The country only has 20 full-sized pitches and the national team plays at the 15,000-capacity Changlimithang National Stadium in the capital Thimphu, which is 2,300 meters above sea level. Many smaller pitches have been built by private owners in recent years. According to Tshering, this comes as a result of football being known as a lucrative business.

Bhutan only joined FIFA in the year 2000. Its men's national team is currently 185th out of 211 associations in FIFA's world rankings. The women's team is 177th out of 187. The domestic men's league was established in 2012, with its equivalent for women starting in 2016 and now including nine teams. The current champion is Paro Women's FC, a club from a city with a population of about 15,000. A 10th club will join the league next season in Bumthang WFC, a team from a northern district of the country.

The Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) counts 219 registered female players and, according to Tshering, while most come from the big cities, the country's FA has been trying to establish programs for more remote locations, which are often at even greater altitude.

Olympics qualifiers for the first time

The BFF is keen on developing the next generation. Apart from the men's training center in Thimphu, Bhutan also has a football academy for girls and women in the southern city of Gelephu, close to the border with India. The academy has a pitch and a gym for the country's top talents, with the youngest team using the facility being Bhutan's under-14s.

Hong Kyung-suk has been Bhutan's national women's team coach since 2022. The former South Korean international decided to step up the number of training sessions to six days a week ahead of the South Asian Cup, which took place in Nepal last fall, and it paid off. The team achieved its first significant win, beating Sri Lanka 5-0, and qualifying for the semifinal as the group's second-placed team, after hosts Nepal. There, Bhutan was beaten 8-0 by Bangladesh, who went on to win the tournament.

Despite the heavy defeat, the Bhutan coach was pleased that her team could concentrate on "improving skills and muscle strength and trying to play faster than before,” Hong told DW. Bhutan will also play its first ever qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics in April. with its opponents being Uzbekistan (49), East Timor (153) and Jordan (69), Bhutan is anything but favorite. 

"I think it will be a great learning experience and exposure for our girls," said Pema Choden Tshering, also adding the games would serve as a "good platform to to benchmark where Bhutan women's football is at on a continental level."

Shaky equal pay for footballers

Tshering says female footballers in Bhutan do not really face any prejudice. "We have a very liberal society and sex, religion, caste, etc have no bearing on what profession one takes. For example, a game of darts, which is a traditional sport and [used to be] played by only men, is now very popular with women and there are even many women participating in a darts tournament."

The midfielder comes from a family with football in its blood. Her father, Hishey Tshering, is the president of Thimphu City FC, a club from Bhutan's capital city. Both Pemba Choden and her brother Orgyen Wangchuk play for the club. Just like his sister, Orgyen Wangchuk Tshering is also part of Bhutan's national team.

Both the "Dragon Girls" and the "Dragon Boys" receive a monthly wage of 30,000 Ngultrum, approximately €350, a fact which the BFF take pride in.

"As the more dominating football nations make the news in their fight for equal pay, our Dragon Girls are eminently blessed to receive equal pay without having to fight for it," the country's football federation says on its website.

The wage is slightly higher than that of an average government official, according to Tshering. "However, the problem is that one can lose this income overnight due to injuries or loss of form and hence being dropped from the sport."

As a result, many footballers prefer to find more secure jobs.

"One of the biggest challenges with football in Bhutan, not just with women's football, is the mere fact that it is very difficult to make a living out of the sport so there is immense pressure from family or the society giving more preference to academia."

Bhutan footballer signs abroad

However, that could change if the national team keeps making progress. Coach Hong thinks Bhutan's potential in women's football is "unlimited." She hopes Bhutan's female players will not only play football in their country, but also abroad. The first step was achieved last October as Deki Lhazom became the first female footballer from Bhutan to sign for a club outside the country, sealing a move to top Saudi Arabian club Al Ittihad. 

In Bhutan, too, there are quite a few people who earn a living from football, according to Pema Choden Tshering. "Hopefully this will inspire others and be the tipping point for football in Bhutan, though it will take some time."

The country's women's football is also in need of more sponsors.

"Since there are very minimal funds, a lot of the girls give up football after a certain age, so sustaining players is a significant challenge."

Tshering is currently working on a strategy for the next four years, with FIFA's help. She thinks women's football in Bhutan cannot only play second fiddle if they achieve success.

"[The question] should always be, ‘what about for women's football?' and not, ‘oh, we forgot or let's wait till someone brings it up.' It should be given equal priority and importance with the men's game."

This article was adapted from German