The much-awaited Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division Football League kicks off on Saturday at the astro-turf of the ANFA Complex in Satdobato.

The long-stalled League is finally ready to go after five years of absence. A total of 14 top flight teams will be vying for the title and a top cash purse of Rs 5 million. Although the Nepali national team’s participation in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in Bangladesh has forced the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) to go for an indefinite break after just two days, the beginning of the League itself will leave a huge amount of expectation on players and coaches, and not to mention the fans.

While few teams have buckled up for a long time to prepare for the League, the other clubs have targeted to give a mid-table performance considering the insufficient time they have had for preparations. A look at what the coaches have to say on the League:

Raju Kaji Shakya

(Chyasal)

Our training has gone well because we were provided with good ground. The boys are working at fitness level. The

best thing with us is that the management is high on spirit and I want to give them a good return. Chyasal are new club in the top-flight so we are hopeful to contribute decent players to Nepali football.

Megh Raj KC

(Three Star)

We have been preparing for the last 10 months. The management has spent millions of rupees for the team and it’s a payback time. As a big team, its obvious that there will be huge expectations. But since we are unaware about other teams, we just want to give continuity to the game that we have been playing.

Salyan Khadgi

(Sankata)

We have a mixed team. Our target

is to round up inside the Top Six. We had undergone a one-month preparation. The team’s morale

is boosted owing to some good results in the knockout football tournaments. This is a new beginning for myself as well and I am excited as a coach than player.

Dhaneshwor Prajapati

(Machhindra)

We had a very short-term preparation. Although we don’t have national footballers, there are few experienced players who can forge a good combination with youngsters. We are targeting a mid-table finish because after the long break we have to start from the scratch to settle in the league.

Maheshwor Mulmi

(New Road Team)

I consider that we are ill-prepared

because we don’t have good training ground. The last one month had only been about mental and physical preparation for us. We just played with a goal post for the last few days. There are other teams who are way ahead of us in this regard. In absence of big players the best we can target is the mid table finish.

Ananta Thapa

(Nepal Police)

As a departmental side, I must say we are all ready for the league. The squad is young but very hungry for success. The players appears to be gelling perfectly well. We performed very well in the knockout tournaments and that should keep our boys motivated. I believe we are the title contenders.

Ujjan Shrestha

(Brigade Boys)

We are a club that produces big players instead of hiring experienced ones. The current squad is also filled with youngsters who we want to groom well. Majority of them come from the U-18 squad that competed in the national event.

Naresh Thapa

(Jawalakhel Youth)

Since we have our own ground, our preparation had been smooth. There are few experienced players in our team along with U-18 footballers. We will try to finishing inside the top eight. The only drawback for us is we lack quality players up front.

Ramesh Maharjan

(Friends)

Our squad is bolstered by presence of four foreign recruits. Out main target is to provide our young players enough exposure through this league. This season would be a good platform for the players to come stronger in the next season.

Rajendra Tamang

(Armed Police)

We have gone through a one and half month training. Since I am trying a different approach to the game, our players are getting it difficult to adapt to the strategy. There is experience in the players but I don’t consider it as the best team this season. We can finish inside the top three.

Subash Limbu

(Himalayan Sherpa)

I think we are the least prepared team in this league. Our training had gone in a very small area. I had played for the Sherpas before and they have put faith in me this time as a coach. We are just focused to give best result to the team.

Nabin Neupane

(Tribhuvan Army)

The departmental teams are always better prepared. We became the No 1 side last season on the back of seven knockout titles. But the real test for us is going to be this league as other teams will be strengthened by the presence of foreign recruits.

Pradip Nepal

(Saraswoti)

We had a one and half month training and that is never going to be enough us to set a big target. There will be few African players in our squad who will be joining the forces with some senior and young players.

Tope Fuja

(Manang Marshyangdi)

We are trying to develop a team which should be capable of doing well in domestic football. There is no pressure on me as a foreign coach although everyone would be expecting me to win the title. The players are giving their best and hope we have a good league.