Bhutan received 5,200 ultra durable balls

A three-day grassroots festival was held on April 9 to mark the event involving more than 300 boys and girls aged between five and 12 from urban and rural areas. 

Chief Justice of Bhutan His Excellency Tshering Wangchuk launched the event and thanked the AFC, the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP) and One World Play Project (OWPP) for the donation.  

“I believe thousands of children will benefit tremendously from the donation especially in the rural areas in Bhutan,” he said. “Also, the recent success of the Bhutan national team in moving up significantly in the FIFA ranking has given new hope and new dreams to the young children.”

The launch event saw grassroots football clinics organised for boys and girls by Bhutan Football Federation (BFF) grassroots coaches with Bhutan national team players also invited to the event. Vaidehi Vaidya appeared at the event on behalf of the AFDP.  

Ugyen Wangchhuk, BFF General Secretary, thanked the AFC for initiating the balls donation project in Bhutan, and ensured that the balls would be used in many ways to develop football especially at the grassroots level.  

Dr. Annathurai Ranganathan, AFC Head of Social Responsibility and representative at the event, said the BFF is one the recipients of the excellent ball donation partnership between the AFC, the AFDP and OWPP. He also thanked the BFF for being actively involved in grassroots football development and thanked them for inviting the national players to be part of the event.  

On April 10, the durable balls were donated to two schools – the Drak Tsho Special Needs Children’s Vocational School and Kuzugchen Middle School, an institution located in a rural mountainous area in Taba.  

The ultra-durable balls, which do not need a pump and never go flat, can withstand the toughest environments and last for years without maintenance.