Changlimithang Stadium

Coordinates: 27°28′17.1″N 89°38′27.8″E / 27.471417°N 89.641056°E / 27.471417; 89.641056
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Changlimithang Stadium
Dzongkhag (District) League
Jigme Dorji Wangchuk Memorial Gold Cup
Coronation Championship
National Women's Championship
Women's Thimphu League
Bhutan national football team

various youth teams

Changlimithang Stadium is a

Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck, but was completely refurbished in 2007 in advance of the coronation of the fifth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Floodlights
were added to the football pitch in 2009 and an evergreen turf laid in 2012, to coincide with the start of the first season of the National League. Located 2,300 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, the stadium is one of the highest in the world. It has raised numerous controversies in footballing circles, as its significant altitude affects the absorption of oxygen in the human body, offering considerable advantage to the home teams who are more accustomed to such conditions.

Original stadium

Changlimithang is built on the site of a

Ugyen Wangchuck, his coronation as the first Druk Gyalpo and led to the unification of Bhutan following a series of civil wars and rebellions between 1882 and 1885.[1][2] Construction for the original stadium was completed in 1974 in time for the coronation of the fourth Druk Gyaplo, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and at that time the whole park covered an area of approximately 11 hectares, with seating capacity of about 10,000 spectators.[2] As well as taking on the role of national stadium and being the home to the Bhutan national football team and national archery competitions, the stadium also provided facilities for squash, billiard and tennis, in addition to being the headquarters of Bhutan Olympic Committee.[2]

Refurbishment

The stadium as set of 2002 documentary The Other Final

The stadium was completely refurbished and reopened in 2008 for the dual celebration of the coronation of the fifth Druk Gyalpo

Nu 2,000,000.[3] These renovations took two years and cost a total of Nu 230,000,000.[1] The newly refurbished stadium was opened by Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck.[1]

A view of the VIP stand

Further enhancements were made to the football pitch in 2011, when floodlighting was added.[4] There had been a desire to include floodlighting at the stadium since 2006, but this had not been achieved due to the high cost of installation.[4] A trip to Bhutan by Tata Group owner Ratan Tata led to an agreement between Tata Power, Druk Green and the Bhutan Olympic Committee to install floodlighting, with Tata bearing the cost of installation as an act of corporate social responsibility.[3] The total cost of installing the floodlighting was Rs 13,230,000.[3]

Further refurbishment was announced in June 2016. The first improvements included installation of plastic seats on the concrete galleries, installation of additional restroom facilities, and expansion of player facilities, such as locker rooms. It was announced that plastic seats would be installed in other sections of the stadium pending budget. The Nu 35 million costs were provided by the government of India.

Modern usage

As well as continuing to hold sporting events, the facility has been utilised for wider public occasions including the Wedding of Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Jetsun Pema.[5] Despite the increase in capacity a few years earlier, the stadium was unable to hold all of the people who wished to attend the occasion.[5]

Following the wedding, more improvements were made to the football pitch, with the grass field being replaced with an artificial surface to improve the performance of the players and add additional durability to the facility as a whole.[6] Historically, it had been very difficult to maintain the ground to an acceptable standard, with an uneven, rain-soaked pitch leading to mocking calls from spectators in the mid-1990s.[7]

Used for archery

Financial support from

Ugyen Academy.[10] The President of the Bhutan Olympic Committee, Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk, having officially opened the new playing surface, then took part in the first match as a player for Druk Pol.[10] The total cost of the new pitch was estimated to $900,000.[6]

Football training at night
Football training at night

Unusually for a national stadium, and as a result of the conversion of the playing surface to artificial turf, the football field at Changlimithang is available for public hire and is extremely popular with people in Thimphu, with the pitch booked for public use from 5 pm - 1am most days during the week as office workers seek to make use of it[7] and from 7 am to 9 pm at weekends.[11] This has proved to be a valuable source of income for the Bhutan Football Federation. With teams needing to make bookings weeks in advance, the Federation made Nu 75,000 in the first fortnight that the pitch was available to the public, with the money gained from hire charges going towards financing additional artificial surfaces planned for elsewhere in the country.[11] Demand for the chance to play on an artificial surface is now so great that the Bhutan Football Federation prepared to hire out the artificial pitch at Changjiji, once available only to train members of the national squad.[12]

Changlimithang played host to the FIFA World Cup trophy as part of its global tour prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Historic Changlimithang stadium inaugurated". bbs.com.bt. Bhutan Broadcasting Service. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2014.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b c "K2: Changlingmethang ground". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. 9 June 2008. Retrieved 30 July 2014.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dorji, Kinley (2006). "Thimphu: A face-lift for Changlingmethang". raonline.com. RA Online / Kuensel. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b "Floodlighting at Changlimithang". drukgreen.bt. Druk Green. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Thousands celebrate in Changlingmethang". bbs.bt. Bhutan Broadcasting Service. 15 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Phuntsho, Tashi (13 December 2013). "To open artificial turf". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  7. ^ a b Norbu, Passang (12 April 2013). "New enthusiasm for an old sport". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  8. ^ Yeshey, Lobzang (9 March 2012). "FIFA to help Bhutan's football". bhutanobserver.bt. Bhutan Observer. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  9. ^ a b Dorji, Ugyen (25 July 2012). "Changlingmethang Artificial-Turf Delayed, Fans Disappointed And Players Settle For RBP Grounds". thebhutanese.bt. The Bhutanese. Retrieved 30 July 2014.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b Phuntsho, Tashi (17 December 2012). "First match on new turf sees three headers". kuenselonline. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  11. ^ a b Phuntsho, Tashi (31 December 2012). "Hired out for 14 hours a day, 5 days a week". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  12. ^ Dorji, Kezang (19 November 2013). "Artificial turf raking in the green". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  13. ^ Dorji, Tshering (7 December 2013). "World Cup trophy tour – Countdown for Bhutan begins". kuenselonline.com. Kuensel Online. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
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