Seeing the craze of people towards Futsal in cities like Kathmandu and Pokhara, Prajwal Shrestha, a national Table Tennis player along with two of his friends Achyut Shrestha and Badal Shrestha planned of introducing the sports in Butwal. They formally registered the company on February 3, 2015, and started its operation with the slogan “Play Fast, Play Beautiful, Play Futsalâ€.
As the only Futsal arena in entire Lumbini zone, they named the company as Lumbini Futsal Arena aiming to be the messenger of peace and prosperity, a mantra of Buddha, who was born in Lumbini itself.
Sharing the idea behind starting the Futsal, Shrestha says they wanted to provide a platform for the youngsters and contribute to raising the name and fame of Nepali football in international level.
The business was started with an initial investment of Rs 60 lakhs.
Talking about the scenario of Futsal in Nepal, Shrestha shares it is very impressive as it is the sports of first and foremost choice for youngsters and also the health conscious group of people. “Futsal has a greater scope as it is unique and liked by many people. Football being one of the best games of youngsters, they are most attracted to this as they can sharpen their skills, experiencing international level standard court which they can’t get in other ordinary football grounds,†says Shrestha.
Passionate in sports, Shrestha takes his job more like a hobby and subject of interest than a work. “So, I never get tired of being on the job,†he shares.
They have set two systems of charging for the arena: membership system and per match system. The membership system costs Rs.25,000 per month, whereas one has to pay Rs.1,500 for each game.
As of yet, it’s mainly boys who come to the Lumbini Futsal Arena. Only about half a dozen of girls’ matches are held there in two years’ duration.
Sharing the business of the Futsal, Shrestha says, “It is going great as we are hosting a minimum of 3 matches per day and more than 100 matches in one month.†On occasions, many Futsal tournaments are also organized by different groups.
“Though Futsal is really a risky business, we tackled each and every problem as we are in a team, and determined,†Shrestha recalls the bumpy journey they went through.
Lakpa FC was the first club that played at the arena, marking the formal beginning of the Futsal business in Butwal. “We were really happy that time. And, satisfied with our service, they have become our frequent customers till the date,†shares Shrestha with joy.
“In the middle of the establishment, there was however presence of really less number of people for the game, but we went to various communities and spread the knowledge about the benefits that we can get from Futsal. We also invited local children to play for free so that they can experience and understand its importance,†he shared about the marketing strategies that they followed when the business was too low.
“One fine day, Mr. Bharat Khawas from Nepal Army Club came to our Futsal. It was really a proud moment for us,†Shrestha shares his happiest moment in the business so far. “Being able to successfully organize ‘Khasi Cup’ last Dashain was our another most happiest moment. It was able to give a positive message to the society,†he adds.
Coming this far within two years of establishment, they are now planning to add various other sports including Badminton and table tennis court and develop it as a sports center. “We have seen a dream to contribute from our side to develop the sports sector of Nepal, and will continue our work in that direction,†he shares.
Saying that there are no such kind of businesses which have an easy go to become an instant success, he requests the aspiring entrepreneurs to join a business of their interest and give their best on it. He also asks everyone to work with passion and dedication, and work in such a way that it benefits both the parties: them as well as their society.
Startups for a better Nepal!
Presented By: Kishmat Pachhai
