The franchises of Nepal Super League — the first-ever franchise football tournament in the country — set to be held from April 24 to May 8 were unveiled in Kathmandu on Sunday.

The organiser Nepal Sports and Event Management (NSEM) named Biratnagar City FC, Kathmandu Rayzrs FC, Lalitpur City FC, FC Chitwan, Pokhara Thunders, Butwal Lumbini FC and Dhangadhi FC as the teams to compete in the league.

Biratnagar City FC is owned by Anup Ranjan Bhattarai, the former CEO of Nepal Telecom. Chiranjeevi Shah, the chief executive of MAW Yamaha, is the owner of Kathmandu Rayzrs and Lalitpur City FC is owned by Kamana Gurung of Bhat-Bhateni Group.

Game On Pvt Ltd’s Sachin Dhakal is the owner of FC Chitwan while Nirakar Shrestha of Laxmi Group was named as the owner of Pokhara Thunders. Rajkumar Timalsina of Event Code Pvt Ltd was revealed as the owner of the Butwal Lumbini FC. Timalsina, however, said there were multiple people and groups involved in the franchise. Subash Shahi, the managing director of SPA, was announced as the owner of Dhangadhi FC.

The seven-team tournament to be organised under the technical support of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) would be played in the round robin format at Dasharath Stadium. The players' auction will take place on March 19 after listing them under four categories. Each team will have 20 players. One team can recruit three overseas players and field two at a time.

National Sports Council member secretary Ramesh Kumar Silwal said that the tournament would prove a milestone for the development of Nepali football. "As the NSL has attracted corporate houses, it will contribute to the development of football in the country and be helpful for players and coaches from the financial perspective," said Silwal.

ANFA president Karma Tsering Sherpa said that the tournament was a new concept in the history of Nepali football. "It has been a much-awaited programme. We signed the memorandum of understanding for the tournament before the coronavirus pandemic but it could not take place last year. I believe the tournament will provide a major boost in making Nepali football more professional," said Sherpa.