| Season | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Druk United |
| Relegated | None |
| AFC Cup | Druk United |
| Matches | 29 |
| Goals | 106 (3.66 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Druk Pol 6–1Bhutan Clearing Druk United 5–0Druk Star |
| Biggest away win | Bhutan Clearing 0–16Thimphu City |
| Highest scoring | Bhutan Clearing 0–16Thimphu City |
| Longest winning run | Druk United Ugyen Academy Thimphu City (4 matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Druk United Ugyen Academy Thimphu City (4 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Bhutan Clearing (4 matches) |
←2013 2015 → | |
The2014 Bhutan National League was the third season of national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced theA-Division (Bhutan) in2013. Again, the A-Division provided the qualifiers, with the top four teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside regional teams. The league was sponsored by Coca-Cola.[1]Druk United won the Championship on goal difference fromUgyen Academy and, as a result of the abolition of theAFC President's Cup, will be the first team from Bhutan to take part in theAFC Cup.
The 2014 season started on 8 March 2014 and ended on 4 May 2014.[1] Druk United won the A-Division and were joined in the National League by Thimpu City, Druk Pol and Druk Star.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Druk United | 12 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 15 | +25 | 28 | 2014 Bhutan National League |
| 2 | Thimphu City | 12 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 24 | +20 | 26 | |
| 3 | Druk Pol | 12 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 19 | 16 | +3 | 21 | |
| 4 | Druk Stars | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 29 | 28 | +1 | 17 | |
| 5 | Dzongree | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 27 | −15 | 12 | |
| 6 | Yeedzin | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 27 | −7 | 11 | |
| 7 | Bhutan U-18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 13 | 40 | −27 | 3 |
| Home \ Away | U18 | UTD | POL | STA | DZO | TPC | YEE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan U-18 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 1–5 | 1–2 | 0–5 | 4–2 | |
| Druk United | 3–1 | 3–0 | 8–3 | 7–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | |
| Druk Pol | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 3–0 | |
| Druk Stars | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | |
| Dzongree | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 5–7 | 1–0 | |
| Thimphu City | 7–1 | 3–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 4–0 | 2–3 | |
| Yeedzin | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–5 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
Note 1: The notion of home and away fixtures in the A-Division is moot as all games are played atChanglimithang Stadium. As such, for the purpose of this table, the first result chronologically has been deemed that team's "home" game and the second the "away" game.
This season, the federation increased the prize money fromNu 400,000 to 700,000 for the winners. First runners up would be given Nu 400,000, up by 200,000 from last year and the second runners up would be awarded Nu 200,000, double from last year’s prize.[2] No place is awarded to the team finishing in first place this season for theAFC President's Cup. This is because2014 is the final edition of the cup to be held. Instead, the six teams which qualify for the 2014 AFC President's Cup final stage will enter the2015 AFC Cup play-offs, and from 2015 onwards, centralized qualifiers will determine six teams which enter the AFC Cup play-offs.[3] Since Ugyen Academy lost all three of their games in the 2014 competition, there will be no Bhutanese representative in theAFC Cup until at least 2016.
The national league has struggled to attract spectators though, with only around fifty people attending matches, even when top teams are involved.[4] This is in contrast to prior years when large crowds would come toChanglimithang even for inter-school tournaments and this downturn in spectator numbers has been attributed to the widespread availability of foreign leagues on television providing a much greater level of entertainment.[4] Additionally, difficulties in obtaining visa's for foreign players to play in the National League inhibit its attraction to local spectators.Thimphu City attempted to bring a player in from theEnglish Premier League, but were unable to do so because of visa issues.[4]
A total of six teams competed in the league: four teams representingThimphu, who qualified as a result of their final positions in the 2014 A-Division, and two teams representing other districts.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Druk United(C) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 33 | 14 | +19 | 22 |
| 2 | Ugyen Academy | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 13 | +13 | 22 |
| 3 | Thimphu City | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 21 |
| 4 | Druk Pol | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 15 |
| 5 | Druk Star | 10 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 18 | 31 | −13 | 7 |
| 6 | Bhutan Clearing | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 53 | −47 | 1 |
| Home \ Away | BCL | POL | STA | UTD | TPC | UGY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan Clearing | 0–6 | 0–3 | 0–5 | 0–16 | 1–4 | |
| Druk Pol | 6–1 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | |
| Druk Star | 2–2 | 0–4 | 4–6 | 3–5 | 3–2 | |
| Druk United | 4–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | |
| Thimphu City | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | |
| Ugyen Academy | 4–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 4–0 |
A number of the results above are disputed. Druk United v Thimphu City was also reported as a 5–0 win for Druk United, not 4–0. Druk Pol were reported to have beaten Bhutan Clearing 6–1, not 6–0. The match between Druk United and Bhutan Clearing may have finished 4–0 to Druk United, not 4–1. Some reports indicate that Thimphu City in fact scored two goals in their away match against Ugyen Academy and lost 4–2 not 4–0 and Bhutan Clearing have been reported as losing 5–1 not 5–0 in their home fixture against Druk United.[5]
