| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Thimphu City |
| Relegated | Bhutan U-17s,Tensung |
| AFC Cup | Thimphu City |
| Matches | 30 |
| Goals | 104 (3.47 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Chencho Gyeltshen (15 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Ugyen Academy 5–0Paro United |
| Biggest away win | Bhutan Clearing 0–6Ugyen Academy |
| Highest scoring | Bhutan Clearing 1–6Thimphu |
←2015 2017 → | |
The2016 Bhutan National League was the fifth season of the national football competition in Bhutan, having replaced theA-Division (Bhutan) in2013. Again, the Thimphu League provides the qualifiers fromThimphu, with the top three teams in that competition being awarded places in the National League alongside three regional teams.
TheThimphu League is a regional competition for teams from Thimphu. the competition consists of seven teams, each plays the others twice – home and away – for a total of 12 games each, over 14 game weeks. 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. The league table is decided firstly on points won, then on goal difference and finally on total goals scored if the previous two are equal. The first three teams automatically qualify for theNational league, the bottom two teams compete in relegation playoffs with the top two teams from the B-Division for two places in the next season's competition.[1]
The 2016 season of the Thimphu League, previously called the Bhutan A-Division, started on April 3, 2016 and ended on June 19.[2]Terton are defending champions[3] and the competition has been expanded from 7 teams in 2015 with the addition ofTensung andBhutan U-17s following the relegation ofDzongree.[2] The 2016 Thimphu league was opened with a friendly match organised by theBhutan Football Federation between theLegends, a team of ex-national team players, includingNado, a sixty-five year old player who represented Bhutan throughout the eighties and nineties,[4] and theYoung Stars, thenational team,[5] with theYoung Stars winning 5–4.[4]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thimphu City(Q) | 14 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 44 | 11 | +33 | 33 | 2016 Bhutan National League |
| 2 | Thimphu(Q) | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 31 | 16 | +15 | 27 | |
| 3 | Druk United(Q) | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 12 | +16 | 26 | |
| 4 | Druk Stars | 14 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 36 | 18 | +18 | 26 | |
| 5 | Druk Pol | 14 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 20 | |
| 6 | Terton | 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 26 | 22 | +4 | 14 | |
| 7 | Tensung(R, Q) | 14 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 42 | −28 | 9 | Relegation |
| 8 | Bhutan U-17s(R, Q) | 14 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 66 | −59 | 4 |
| Home \ Away | U17 | POL | STA | UTD | TEN | TER | THI | CIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan U-17s | 0–4 | 0–6 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 0–5 | 0–9 | 1–6 | |
| Druk Pol | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–1 | 1–3 | |
| Druk Stars | 6–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 2–2 | |
| Druk United | 5–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–3 | |
| Tensung | 3–3 | 4–0 | 1–7 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–3 | |
| Terton | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–2 | |
| Thimphu | 5–0 | 0–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | |
| Thimphu City | 6–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 10–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
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.
The competition consists of six teams competing for the national league championship, the winner of which gains a place in the next season's.AFC Cup. Each plays the others twice – home and away – for a total of 10 games each, over 10 game weeks. 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for a loss. the league table is decided firstly on points won, then on goal difference and finally on total goals scored if the previous two are equal. There is no promotion or relegation from this league.[6]
A total of six teams competed in the league: three teams representingThimphu, who qualified as a result of their final positions in the 2015 A-Division, and three teams representing other districts.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thimphu City(C, Q) | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 25 | 12 | +13 | 22 | 2017 AFC Cup preliminary round |
| 2 | Druk United | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 20 | |
| 3 | Ugyen Academy | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 23 | 11 | +12 | 16 | |
| 4 | Thimphu | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 15 | |
| 5 | Paro United | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 12 | |
| 6 | Bhutan Clearing | 10 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 36 | −33 | 1 |
| Home \ Away | BCL | UTD | PAR | TPU | TPC | UGY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhutan Clearing | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–6 | 0–5 | 0–6 | |
| Druk United | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 3–4 | 2–1 | |
| Paro United | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | |
| Thimphu | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | |
| Thimphu City | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 4–1 | |
| Ugyen Academy | 3–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 |
