Dasrath Rangashala: Sold Out under floodlights

When one thinks of the pinnacle of live sports in Nepal, one’s mind normally meanders into an image of playing with the throngs of Nepali supporters cheering you on at Nepal’s National Stadium. The Dasrath Rangashala(stadium) has a niche name amongst the Nepalese as the stadium for all sports in Nepal. The stadium throughout its history of serving as Nepal’s one and only international stadium has had a lot of work done on it to meet international standards.

One of the more notable pieces of upgrades was at the 8th South Asian Games in 1999, where the stadium was fitted with its first floodlights and state-of-the-art sound systems along with electronic boards and new synthetic tracks across the upgraded football pitch.

Recently, the ground has been pretty busy; the Qatar Airways Martyrs’ Memorial League is underway in the stadium grounds 4 days a week from 4:45 pm. With the provision of being able to watch two games after purchasing one ticket, the games at the stadium only cost Rs 100 for normal seats and 500 for the V.I.P seats along with food being made available to purchase during the games.

The stadium has seen a large attendance in recent days, with the night game of Manang Marsyangdi against Machindra Club receiving around 10,000 fans. In attendance in these games of the Martyr’s Memorial league can also be found Local celebrities such as Rajesh Hamal, Ramkrishna Dhakal and many more.

The ANFA president speaking on the matter said, “7 rounds have been concluded and 6 rounds are still to go, it’s been amazing how the fans show up even in the night-time; the games are moving forward with great ease without any incidents occurring.”

With the recent emergence of the variant of the coronavirus, there are growing fears amongst people that football attendances might dwindle again after such healthy numbers, however ANFA shall and definitely will consider the safety and health of its professionals and the public before making any drastic decisions.