Football: A five-day FIFA Women Coaching Course is underway to promote women’s football in the country.

Organised by the Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) with support from FIFA, the training aims to demonstrate the role of coach in relation to the players.

A total of 21 young women football enthusiasts, including school physical education instructors, national players, coaches and representatives from clubs, are taking part in the training.

The training includes both theoretical and practical sessions where participants will be trained in aspects like match analysis, psychological development of players, roles and responsibilities of the coach, and coping with differences within the team.

Instructor Hope Powell said that so far the participants have shown great interest in the course. “They’re very interactive. At the same time, they are intelligent and, therefore, it’s easier for me to conduct the sessions without much problems,” said that 48-year-old FIFA consultant. “At the end of this five-day course I expect each and every one of them to leave with some extra knowledge.”

One of the participants, Dechen Wangmo, said that she’s looking forward to learn the roles and responsibilities of a coach to understand the players better.

“Being a player myself, I know the importance of understanding the coach’s approach with the players,” said that 18-year-old. “The bond between the coach and players is very important in the development of the game. I expect to learn a lot from this course.”

Training coordinator Yiwang Pindarica said that the initiation was a small step toward improving women’s football in Bhutan.

“With football becoming popular in the country, women are starting to show interest in the game,” she said. “We are grateful to FIFA for supporting the initiative and hope to encourage more women to take up the sport.”

Women’s football in Bhutan started a long time ago but did not have avenues to succeed as did men’s team. With recent efforts from the federation, however, the game’s popularity with women is growing.

The under-14 national women’s football team represents the Bhutan in the international football.

Younten Tshedup