Bhutan Super League

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Bhutan Super League
Organising bodyBhutan Football Federation (BFF)
Founded2001; 20 years ago (2001) (as Thimphu League)
CountryBhutan
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid2 (qualifiers)
Promotion toBhutan Premier League
Relegation toDzongkhag (District) League
Current championsHigh Quality United
(2020)
Most championshipsDrukpol (8 titles)
TV partnersEleven Sports (live streaming)
Websitehttp://www.bhutanfootball.org

The Bhutan Super League, previously known as the Thimphu League and Bhutan A-Division, is the men's qualifying top-level division of professional football in Bhutan. Until 2012, it was the top division, but has been surpassed by the Bhutan Premier League.

Format[]

Competing teams in the league play each other in a round-robin format, with top six entering the BPL. All matches are being played at a single venue.

History[]

The Thimphu League has taken a number of formats during its history. Initially, the competition was held as a single round-robin group of matches, with all games being held at the national stadium, Changlimithang.[1] In 2001, the format of football played was very similar to the later set up of a Thimphu league, including Paro taking part in a qualifying contest to join other teams from different Dzongkhags for a genuine national league.[2] However, the main focus of the league has been on Thimpu-based teams.

Under its previous name, the A-Division was formally named as such in 2001,[2] following five years of competition under a different, unknown name between 1996 and 2000[3] and what appears to have been a one-off competition in 1986.

The initial A-Division season, as noted above, consisted of a Thimphu-based qualifying round, followed by an essentially national competition, albeit hosted in Phuentsholing.[2] Druk Star broke the domination of Drukpol by winning the A-Division that season.[2] In 2002 the league continued to include teams from outside of Thimphu, but this time, there were no teams from Gomtu or Samtse, only from Phuentsholing and Paro.[4] By 2003, all non-Thimphu teams had dropped out of the league to be replaced by others from the capital city who contested a single round-robin series of matches.

In 2003, a full league pyramid was established in Bhutan, with the A-Division at its head. There were nine A division clubs and nine B division clubs competing in the national league. The Bhutan football federation (BFF) introduced C division clubs, from this year, to participate in the national league. About 12 to 14 C division clubs are thought to have participated.[5] Based on the performance in the national league, the two best teams from C division will from this point be promoted to the B division. Likewise, two B division teams will move up to A division. On the other hand, two weakest teams in each division will be relegated to a lower division.[5]

Details are scant for 2004, but it is known that this was the first time that Bhutan submitted an entrant for any AFC tournament, with that season's champion, Transport United being awarded Bhutan's slot in the 2005 AFC President's Cup.[6] This cemented the A-Division's position as the premier football competition in the country and it continued to supply Bhutan's President's Cup entrant until the creation of the National League.

The league settled into its Thimpu-focussed home and away set up by 2005 at the latest.[7] This season would see the beginning of the dominance of Transport United, who picked up their second successive title and would go on to win another two to make it four in a row, only bettered by Drukpol's performance prior to the formalisation of the A-Division.[3] However, following their final title in 2007, they began to slip down the league table, finishing second in 2008[8] and spending several seasons in mid-table obscurity before finally being relegated to the B-Division in 2012.[9] As Transport United slipped, so Yeedzin were poised to take their place, winning four titles and taking one second place in the next six seasons.[3]

2011, however, was the last edition where the A-Division held the premier spot in Bhutan's football pyramid. In an attempt to spread the popularity of the game around the country, a National League was established.[10] The Division continues in its usual format, but now no longer supplies Bhutan's entrant to the AFC President's Cup. Instead the top teams from the Thimphu League qualify to compete in the National League against several teams from different districts.

In 2015 the A-Division was renamed the Thimphu League (Yanmar Thimphu League for sponsorship reasons), reflecting the National League's position as the preeminent football competition in the country.[11]

In 2019, the rebranded second division named Bhutan Super League was introduced, adding clubs outside of Thimphu in its membership. Thimphu League continued to exist as part of the third division Dzongkhag (District) League.

Past winners[]

A national league has been running since 1986. However, the A-division itself was not formed until 2001. Champions were:[3]

List of winners
Season Winner Runner-up Third place
1986 Royal Bhutan Army Social Service Finance
1987–1995 unknown unknown unknown
1996 Drukpol unknown unknown
1997 Drukpol unknown unknown
1998 Drukpol unknown unknown
1999 Drukpol unknown unknown
2000 Drukpol unknown unknown
2001 Druk Stars Samtse Thimpu
2002 Drukpol unknown unknown
2003 Drukpol Dzongree Transport United
2004 Transport United unknown unknown
2005 Transport United Drukpol Yeedzin
2006 Transport United unknown Royal Bhutan Army
2007 Transport United Drukpol Druk Stars
2008 Yeedzin Transport United Royal Bhutan Army
2009 Druk Stars Yeedzin Drukpol
2010 Yeedzin Drukpol Transport United
2011 Yeedzin Zimdra Drukpol
2012 Drukpol Zimdra Dzongree
2013 Yeedzin Thimphu City Dzongree
2014 Druk United Thimphu City Drukpol
2015 Terton Thimphu Thimphu City
2016 Thimphu City Thimphu Druk United
2017 Thimphu City Transport United Thimphu
2018 Transport United Thimphu City Thimphu
2019 Druk Stars High Quality United BFF Academy U-19

Performance by club[]

Performance by teams
Team Winners Runners-up Third place Years won Years runner-up Years third
Drukpol 8 3 3 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2012 2005, 2007, 2010 2009, 2011, 2014
Transport United 5 2 2 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2018 2008, 2017 2003, 2010
Yeedzin 4 1 1 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 2009 2012
Druk Stars 3 0 1 2001, 2009, 2019 — 2007
Thimphu City[a] 2 5 1 2016, 2017 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018 2015
Royal Bhutan Army 1 0 2 1986 — 2006, 2008
Terton 1 0 0 2015 — —
Druk United 1 0 1 2014 — 2016
Thimphu 0 2 3 — 2015, 2016 2001, 2017, 2018
Dzongree 0 1 1 — 2003 2013
Samtse 0 1 0 — 2001 —
Social Service 0 1 0 — 1986 —
High Quality United 0 1 0 — 2019 —
Finance 0 0 1 — — 1986
BFF Academy U-19 0 0 1 — — 2019
  1. ^ Thimphu City competed as Zimdra in 2011 and 2012.

References[]

  1. ^ Burns, Peter; Makdissi, Albert (31 July 2003). "Bhutan 1986". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Schöggl, Hans; King, Ian (31 July 2003). "Bhutan 2001". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Schöggl, Hans; Abbink, Dinant (28 May 2014). "Bhutan – List of Champions". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  4. ^ Schöggl, Hans (31 July 2003). "Bhutan 2002". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Schöggl, Hans; Hai Naveed, Malik Riaz (5 June 2004). "Bhutan 2003". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  6. ^ Schöggl, Hans (4 January 2006). "Bhutan 2004". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  7. ^ Schöggl, Hans (4 October 2006). "Bhutan 2005". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  8. ^ Schöggl, Hans (9 July 2009). "Bhutan 2008". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  9. ^ Schöggl, Hans; Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (28 February 2013). "Bhutan 2012". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  10. ^ Aletta, André (10 October 2013). "Soccer minnow Bhutan strives for greatness on the pitch". dw.de. Deutche Welle. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  11. ^ Stokkermans, Karel; Jigmi, Sonam (23 July 2015). "Bhutan 2015". www.rsssf.com. Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 27 July 2015.


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