Kathmandu, May 8, 2017: Kumari Futsal has come victorious in the Mahila Premier League, Nepal’s first women’s futsal league. Meanwhile, Manisha Thapa (top scorer) from Kumari itself has been successful to bag the Golden Boot, whereas, Sapana, (best goalie) from Real Madrid received Golden Gloves.
Similarly, Real Madrid came second in the tournament whereas Go Sports Nepal managed to come in the third position. At the awards ceremony held on Saturday, prizes and medals were awarded to the winning teams, top scorer, best goalie, coaches, and referees from other teams who displayed particular sportsmanship qualities. Along with the trophies, medals, and certificates, the winners were also provided with rafting prizes, wall climbing opportunities and much more.
The league was launched on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2017 and ran over eight weeks and ended on Saturday, May 6, with the final round of games. Eight teams in total had participated in the league: ABC, Apex, CloudFactory, Goal Diggers, Go Sports Nepal, Kumari, Leeyash, and Real Madrid.
After winning the league, Baby Gurung, captain of Kumari Futsal shared, “The past eight weeks taught us a lot, and helped us improve our sports skills to a great extent. In the beginning, we were unsure if we can reach the top spot in this league, but our team-work and coordination helped us to bag this award. We are highly encouraged by this win, and will continue playing futsal professionally now onwards.”
Similarly, from Apex club, Sujina Gurung said, “We feel so happy to be involved in this league. This is a unique opportunity for us to play with other girls and be inspired to get better. We can learn a lot from watching other teams like Kumari and Real Madrid.”
Maya Lama, a national referee shared that players lose interest and girls lag behind if there are no competitions. “The league provides the continuity that is needed for girls to improve and move forward,” she said.
The league was organized with an objective of providing a safe space for women and girls to challenge themselves, engage in teamwork, display sportsmanship, and cultivate competitiveness and the desire to win, along with challenging gender stereotypes that are still making it difficult for girls and women to play sports.
The tournament was a female-run initiative run the United We Project, with female players, and female FIFA certified referees.
