Sports
Fixtures of ‘A’ Division Futsal League unveiled
The league, originally scheduled to start on May 15, was postponed owing to rising coronavirus infections.Sports Bureau
The fixtures of the pandemic-delayed 'A' Division National Futsal League were unveiled on Tuesday.
A total of ten teams are participating in the league—being organised for the first time in the country—which will run from September 18 to October 8.
The league, originally scheduled to start on May 15, was postponed owing to rising coronavirus infections. The qualifications for the league finals were held between March 14 and April 18.
As per the draw, the Rising Club will vie against Sky Goals in the opening match of the league, to be played in single round-robin format.
Top four finishers will advance to the playoffs. The top two teams will battle against each other for a place in the final in the Qualifier 1 while the third and the fourth-placed teams will lock horns in the Eliminator. The losing team of Qualifier 1 will then face the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 for the next final spot.
Each match will consist of two halves of 20 minutes and will be played on a hard-court surface, as per the FIFA standard, instead of turf, at the covered hall of Pokhara Stadium. Each team will have 14 members and a total of nine substitutions will be allowed per match.
The winners of the league will bag a purse of Rs1 million whereas the runners-up will receive Rs500,000. The best striker, best goalkeeper, best fixo (defender) and best coach, as well as the rising player, will get Rs25,000 each.
The tournament is organised by All Nepal Football Association while Turnpike Events is sponsoring and managing it.
The participating teams are the Rising Club, Dharan; Sports Castle, Pokhara; Lumbini Futsal, Rupandehi; Futsal Five, Dharan; Duku Futsal, Kathmandu; Sabin Memorial FC, Pokhara; Sankhamul Futsal, Kathmandu; Jharana Sports Club, Rupandehi; Prabhatpheri Sports Club, Kathmandu; and Sky Goals, Kathmandu.