Panaji: Known as 'the kingdom of happiness' for its pursuit of balance, it is no coincidence that Bhutan has reached the semifinals of the SAFF Women's Championship for three consecutive editions. While some may argue that with only eight nations in South Asia (now seven after Afghanistan's exit), reaching the top four is not a major achievement, a look at the past tells a different story. From 2010 to 2019, lower-ranked teams like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and even Maldives made it to the semifinals at least once, but Bhutan only tasted that experience in 2022.
This progress is no accident. Bhutan's qualification to the semifinals four years ago resulted from meticulous planning, increased focus on women's football, and the realization that women are better positioned to script sporting history for the tiny, mountainous, landlocked country.
Investment in Women's Football
"For us at the Bhutan Football Federation, women's football is the way forward if we really want to get a trophy," deputy general secretary Phuntsho Wangdi told TOI. "We have started investing in women's football."
Bhutan pays a monthly salary to its national team players; some even receive scholarships. A national academy for women is in place, the league is expanding, and by next year, at least six coaches will hold AFC Pro-Diploma, the highest coaching accreditation in Asia.
Motivation Through Monthly Payments
"Monthly payments help. The girls get motivated, the community gets motivated, the parents are involved. Ours is a very small population; it's not like we have a big group of players. We have to encourage everyone to come out and play," Wangdi explained.
"We are providing a lot of exposure, increasing the pool of women coaches at the highest level, inviting good players from South Asia to feature in the league as domestic players, not foreigners. All this is being done because I don't think with men we can catch up. Women are our best option to progress in this region and beyond, even the World Cup," he added.
Focus on Current Championship
For now, the focus is firmly on the current SAFF Women's Championship, where Bhutan will face five-time champions and regional powerhouse India in the semifinal on Wednesday.
"Making it to the final will be tough, especially since in both the group-stage games, we didn't really perform as per our expectation," said captain Pema Tshering, who scored a hat-trick against Sri Lanka last week. "I am not sure if it's the weather or players are just fatigued. But, hopefully, after confirming our place in the semifinal, this five-day break will help us come back stronger."
Preparation and Strategy
Bhutan arrived in Goa before any other team, five days before the tournament started, to acclimatize to the hot and humid conditions, quite different from the low temperatures back home. They have improved with every game and are now looking to script the biggest upset in history.
"The mentality has to be very strong. Maybe get an early goal, cause a disruption to the game plan," said Tshering.
