Pokhara, 28 November| The 25th edition of the Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup Football Tournament is scheduled to take place from February 10 to February 21 (Magh 27 to Falgun 9). The organizing body, Sahara Club Pokhara, announced the dates during a press conference today, confirming that the time-table for the competition has been received from the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). Keshab Bahadur Thapa, President of the club, stated that preparations are underway for the national/international inter-club invitational tournament, which is expected to see participation from top-tier clubs from Nepal, along with some foreign teams. The final number of participating teams, however, is yet to be decided.
The continued commitment to the tournament was reinforced by Prakash KC, Director of the main sponsor, Himshree Foods Pvt. Ltd., who assured the continuation of their collaboration with the Aaha Rara Pokhara Gold Cup. Dipendra Marsani, Ward Chairman of Pokhara Metropolitan City-9, highlighted the role of the competition in promoting Pokhara through football and confirmed the Metropolitan City’s readiness to cooperate for the development of the sport. The Pokhara Metropolitan City is the patron of the event. Special cooperation is being extended by the National Sports Council, Gandaki Province Sports Council, Kaski District Sports Development Committee, ANFA, and Kaski District Football Association. Ward Office-9 of the Pokhara Metropolitan City is the co-sponsor. The previous 24th edition was won by Uzbekistan’s Black Bulls FC, with Nepal Police Club finishing as the runners-up.
Sahara Club also utilized the press conference to publicize the income and expenditure of its ‘Sahara Charity Dinner Night’ program, held on November 14 (Kartik 14). The club reported a collection of Rs 2,419,000, with an expenditure of Rs 677,000, resulting in a saving of Rs 1,741,000. Ganga Ram Paudel, General Secretary of the club, informed that the saved amount will be used to operate the ‘Surya Bahadur KC Memorial Sahara Residential Football Academy.’ The academy, currently running in Dobilla, provides residential facilities and football training to 30 boys from 16 districts of Nepal. The club is committed to providing education and residential amenities to children and teenagers from underprivileged families through the academy.
