Thinley Namgay
Four schools have booked their place for the upcoming Bhutan Higher Secondary School Football Championship (BHSSFC) which will be held in January at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu.
The selected schools are Chukha Central School (CS), Gesarling Higher Secondary School (HSS), Jakar HSS, and Gyalpozhing CS.
Chukha CS and Gesarling HSS got through from the southern regional championship last month.
Jakar HSS and Gyalpozhing CS have secured a place after topping the central regional championship in August.
For the eastern regional championship, Jigme Sherubling CS, Nangkor CS, Bayling CS, and Minjiwoong CS will play in Samdrupjongkhar between October 15 and 18.
Yangchenphug HSS, Ugyen Academy, and Shaba HSS will compete for the western regional championship in Paro in the first week of next month.
In the first phase of the BHSSFC, 71 HSSs from across the country played the district league in home and away format from June conducted by the school sports instructors depending on clusters.
Twenty district winners were nominated for the four regional championships; two best teams from each region will represent at the national level.
BHSSFC’s focal person, Ugyen Dorji, said the regional championship followed a single league format. “The national level competition will be held as per knockout format.”
Ugyen Dorji said that the Thimphu dzongkhag league took time due to more schools.
The Thimphu dzongkhag league ended only yesterday.
Yangchenphug HSS and Pelkhil drew 3-3 at the Changlimithang Stadium yesterday.
Yangchenphug was selected considering that the team defeated Pelkhil in the first leg game 2-0.
The winner of the BHSSFC will represent Bhutan in the South Asia High School
The maiden BHSSFC was supposed to start in April last year.
The three-year tournament will be coordinated by the Bhutan Football Federation and the Department of Youth and Sports.
BHSSFC is aimed at fostering mass participation in football at the grassroots level and enhancing the quality of youth football.