Thinley Namgay  

Bhutan has now three Asian Cricket Council (ACC) certified Level 2 women cricket coaches.

Last week, dzongkhag cricket coaches Yeshey Choden, 30, and Dechen Wangmo, 29, completed a five-day Level 2 coaching course held in Lahore, Pakistan along with 21 coaches from the Asian region.

Bhutan added these two certified coaches after more than six years. Coach Sonam Lhamo, who is currently working in Thimphu, was the first to receive the Level 2 certificate in 2016.

Yeshey Choden and Dechen Wangmo have been playing cricket since 2007. The duo are currently in the national squad and also act as coaches.




Currently, Yeshey Choden looks after Thimphu dzongkhag. She served as a grassroots coach for four years and it’s been more than two years as a  development coach.

Dechen Wangmo is a coach in Samtse dzongkhag. After three years as a grassroots coach, she has been a development coach for more than two years.

Yeshey Choden said: “It has been a great experience and learning for both of us learning from top-notch coaches in Pakistan to meeting fellow coaches of different styles and countries.”

She said that experiences from the training would help to further promote cricket in the country.

“We covered all aspects of cricket and also important topics outside cricket that are relevant,” Yeshey Choden said.




The training was supported by ACC, Pakistan National Cricket Association, and Bhutan Cricket (BC).

Yeshey Choden said that most of the coaches for sports are male-dominated and that such an opportunity for female coaches would help the younger generations.

“Youth can choose to be a player or a coach as they have opportunities in both fields,” she said.

BC’s chief executive officer, Damber S Gurung said that Level 2 training would help the coaches to lead the national teams in international competitions.

He said that many women are currently doing level 1 courses.

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