International News

1. How’s Bhutan treating you? I have been here two weeks now and am enjoying my experience of Bhutan so far. 2. How did you know about Bhutan and what was the first thing that came into your mind when you came across the term “Bhutan” and what are the things you searched regarding Bhutan? I have been to Nepal previously so I had a picture in my mind of how Bhutan might look. On reading up on the country I became intrigued by the notion of national happiness and love the idea of embracing the past and accepting the future on your own terms. 3. Can you provide an overview of the current state of the team, including your recent selections and what are the areas for improvement? The women’s national team played a good number of games in 2023. They look organized and there are some very talented players. Our selection process involved NWL game observation, two days of trial matches and observations of previous internationals. 4. With Bhutan’s Women’s National Team’s success in recent years, what are your short-term and long-term goals? We want to continue to build on the progress and success that has gone before. We are setting our sights on the goal of winning SAFF. 5. What is your assessment of the current player roster or how do you see the Bhutanese players? I am very happy with what I have observed if the players so far. They all seem like good people and I am looking forward to working with them. They are at a good level technically and have good game understanding. 6. Are there specific strengths or areas that the team needs to focus on for player development? We will be focusing primarily on how we want to play as a team, but will also pay attention to individual player development. 7. What will be your style of play and philosophy? Are there specific tactical approaches or strategies you prefer? I like to play forward thinking, brave football. But also want to make sure our style works for every one involved. 8. What’s your approach or feedback regarding women’s football in the country? There are a lot of really great things happening in Bhutan for women’s football. While I am here I will see where I can help and who I can pass to my knowledge on to. 9. Bhutan’s National team or Bhutan Football as a whole is way behind your country’s trend in terms of football so, what are the things you would like to improve in the next few months? I have watched women’s football develop in a number of countries. These things take time but anything can be achieved. We need to make sure every girl can try football and find a place where they can participate from 5 years old. Short term I would like to focus on making sure those young girls have excellent role models to inspire them by working with the talented players already in the academy and national team. 10. Being at BFF Girls Academy and having trained the U19 girls for a few days, can you provide an overview of the academy’s current structure, programs, and objectives? Are you happy about it? I have only had a few days at the academy but I can see there are good things already in place. My task will be to review where value can be added, with a focus on ensuring players are getting what they need to become their best self. 11. As we all know BFF Girls Academy, Gelephu plays a crucial pipeline in building the senior national team in the future, what are the things you are going to emphasis at the Academy? I would like to ensure we are delivering an holistic program for the players. This will ensure players can not just develop as players technically and tactically, but develop as people and as athletes. 12. How do you plan to balance academics and athletics within the academy? We will work closely with the local schools to ensure our students are completing their academic work whilst meeting the demands of player development. 13. What are the changes you want to make out at the BFF Girls Academy, Gelephu? There are already so great things happening at the academy and we have the support of FIFA with the TDS program. I am not looking for what I can change. I am looking where I can assist, support, educate and enhance the people and processes we have in place.

Eilidh Mackay is a collaborative leader and experienced coach aligning stakeholders to achieve collective goals. In her recent role as FIFA Legacy Manager, she fostered a collaborative culture between two host nations, two confederations and FIFA, organizing workshops to create a collective legacy program producing a post-tournament legacy impact report. As the Men’s Premier League Head Coach at KPFC, Eilidh proactively evolved the club’s culture, raised standards, and developed a sustainable program. Her role as Head of Female Football at NSFA showcased her proactive approach in creating and implementing the “What’s Best For Her” strategy, resulting in tangible outcomes such as increased player retention, coach representation, and female player representation. Eilidh’s diverse experience also includes roles with Football Australia as a Support Coach for the Future Matilda’s program and Northern Tigers as the Girls SAP Technical Director, NPL Youth Head Coach, and XLR8 Player Development Manager. Throughout her career, she emphasized holistic player development, coach education, and community engagement. Her achievements include AFC/FA A-License, participation in FIFA’s Female Coach Mentoring and Coach Educator programs, and serving as the Chair of the FNSW Women’s Standing Committee. Eilidh is a certified personal trainer, a recipient of the Women in Leadership Sports Grant, and actively involved in coaching education and development initiatives.

In the realm of international football, Bhutan’s national teams have had their share of ups and downs in 2023. From the U16-SAFF Championship held in the country to our first International Women’s Friendly Tournament for the senior women’s national team, the year has been a rollercoaster ride for Bhutanese football enthusiasts. SAFF Championship, 2023, Bangalore The Dragon Boys’ first outing of 2023 was marked by their return to the SAFF Championship, which was held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India, from June 21 to July 4, 2023. Apart from the SAFF countries, Kuwait and Lebanon were invited as guest teams to increase the number of teams and make the event more competitive. Bhutan started the SAFF expedition facing the Maldives in the opening match. Despite some exceptional displays from our Dragon boys, we failed to live up to expectations, suffering a heartbreak result in the opening of our journey, losing to the Maldives with a score of 2-0. Our second match of the championship was more surprising, as we faced a much stronger team ranked 80 places above us. Lebanon, one of the guests of the SAFF championship, opened their account within a few minutes of the opening whistle while we helplessly defended their attacks. We were 4 goals behind at halftime but managed to pull one back in the second half, showcasing our strong mentality despite the big goal margin. SAFF Championship, 2023 Bangalore Our first encounter with Lebanon In the final match of the championship, we faced Bangladesh and suffered a 3-1 setback. Despite the tough competition and unfavourable outcomes, our Dragon boys exhibited resilience and determination throughout the tournament, even though they failed to qualify for the semifinals. While victory eluded them, the experience gained on the international stage will undoubtedly serve as a stepping stone for future matches. U16-SAFF Championship, 2023 (Changlimithang National Stadium) The journey began with the U16-SAFF Championship, held on Bhutanese soil at the iconic Changlimithang National Stadium. It was the first international match held in the country after the pandemic, and hopes were high. Fans were eager to witness our young talents shine. Unfortunately, Bhutan couldn’t make it to the semifinals after losing to Pakistan and the Maldives with scorelines of 2-1 and 3-2, leaving spectators with mixed feelings. In the match against the Maldives, the future of Bhutan Football and the captain, Sonam Dorji, scored a fabulous long shot and doubled his tally in the additional minutes of the first half.  Our first International Match held in the country after the pandemic What a way to celebrate your first goal for the country in front of the home supporter However, the game was overturned when he received a second yellow card of the match, leaving Bhutan a goal short of progressing to the semifinals. While the outcome was not ideal, it marked an opportunity for the young Bhutanese footballers to learn and grow, setting the stage for their future endeavours. U19-SAFF Championship, 2023 (Nepal) Moving on to the U19-SAFF Championship held in Nepal, Bhutan’s young team displayed remarkable determination and talent that made waves in international matches. Under the guidance of Japanese Head Coach Hedaharu Takahashi, these young talents have shown immense potential and promise. Their impressive performances have not only caught the attention of scouts but have also ignited hope for the future of Bhutanese football. In the opening match of Bhutan against Bangladesh, the runners-up of the Championship in the years 2017, 2019, and 2022, the young team showed their determination and bravery by staging a comeback against Bangladesh, securing the first historical win in the tournament over them in years. Highest Scorer of Bhutan and joint Highest scorer of the Tournament, “Jigme Namgyel” Team Bhutan were awarded the “Fair Play” award in the tournament In the second match against the reigning champions and the champions of the tournament, the young boys showed enough resilience, composure, and determination to score the first goal of the match. However, team India scored a goal in each half to secure 3 points and a comeback against us. Despite this, the young Bhutan team advanced to the semifinals of the championship. In the semifinals, the team faced first-time participants, Pakistan. The match was intense, with the boys controlling the game and creating numerous chances, but unfortunately, the game ended in a draw and came down to penalties. Despite giving their all, Bhutan was narrowly knocked out in the tiebreaker. This heart-wrenching defeat was a testament to the resilience and fighting spirit of the young Bhutanese youth. However, there was a silver lining amidst the disappointment. Bhutan’s team was awarded the fair play award of the tournament, reflecting the values of sportsmanship they upheld throughout the competition. Additionally, Jigme Namgyel, a rising star of Bhutanese football, was recognized as the highest goal scorer, sharing this honor with Gwgwmsar Goyary from Team India and Samir Tamang from Nepal. These accolades highlighted Bhutan’s commitment to the beautiful game. International Women’s Friendly Tournament (Senior Women’s Team) – Saudi Arabia Shifting the focus to the senior women’s team, Bhutan’s senior women’s national team participated in the second edition of the International Women’s Friendly Tournament, held in Saudi Arabia. This marked our first international friendly tournament in which our women’s team had ever participated. Bhutan’s Road to the Final During the group stage of the tournament, Bhutan played its first match against Lebanon. Although we had a rough start to the game, we had a bit of bad luck, losing to them with a scoreline of 3-2. Both goals for the Dragon Girls were scored by our rising star, Ms. Deki Lhazom, in the final minutes of the game. The second match of the group stage was played against one of the higher-ranked teams, “Laos,” in which the Dragon girls did well enough to keep the scoreline level, ensuring their progression to the semifinals on goal difference. In the semifinals, the Dragon girls faced the host team and the winners of group B, “Saudi Arabia.” In