Sushil Katila, Nabin Shrestha, Rabin Pun, Rabin Gurung, Bishal Lama, Samir Thapa, Sushil Lama, Deepak Pakhrin and Kapil Adhikari are the players of the academy to be enrolled in Boys Union. Sahara Club had been looking after the players in its football academy for the last seven years and had been providing them education and football training. [break]
Sahara has been training 20 underprivileged talented players, aged between 17 to 20, from 13 districts at the academy since 2004.
As per the initial agreement between the two clubs, Sahara players will be associated with the Boys Union until mid-April (Chaitra).
The players were handed over to Boys Union General Secretary Shrawan Kumar Shrestha on Tuesday. Among the nine players selected by Boys Union, Sushil Katila, Rabin Pun and Sushil Lama have already played in the Aaha Gold Cup while the others have played in a number of other local tournaments.
Not only Thakali and the club, but the players were also equally happy after their enrollment in the B division outfit but were rather sad on having to leave Sahara. "Though we did not wish to leave Sahara Club, we took this challenge as it would open doors of opportunities for us," Nabin Shrestha, one of the players, said adding, "We are leaving our guardians but we hope to make them proud by showing our talent at national level."
The emotional players said that they have learned everything they need in Sahara and now it was their turn to prove themselves and the academy.
Thakali also suggested to the players to show their full potential on the field. "The enrollment has also paved the way for their bright future. We will be proud when these players would introduce themselves as the products of Sahara in future."
According to Boys Union General Secretary Shrestha, the main reason behind enrolling Sahara players was to help the development of football and to introduce talented players at a time when the club has been facing an acute scarcity of good players.
"We picked them as we found them capable and talented after examining their performance on the field," Shrestha said adding, "To get players of such prowess for the club will definitely be fruitful." Boys Union now has 27 players as there were already 18 players in the club.
According to Shrestha, the club is still looking for about a dozen more players as All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has a provision of registering upto 35 players in a club.
According to Shrestha, nine players from the same academy will help the club to set the team. "As they have been training together since seven years the team could be set easily," stated Shrestha. "The club has enrolled new players with the target of making through to the first division," he added. The club will play its first match against Kumari Club on Thursday.
Boys Union will provide all facilities including fooding, accommodation and education to the players. The club will provide Sahara Rs 100,000. Boys Union will also pay the players. However, the amount is yet not fixed. According to the club, the players will get remuneration on par with other players.
Boys Union was relegated to second division after finishing second from bottom in the previous edition of first division league.
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