Nepali Sports Dot Com

Kathmandu 31 July, - In comparison to the English football fans who support their team everywhere they go to play Nepal doesn’t have much to boast of. However fan following has started its trend here too through Nabil Three Star Club.

‘I do not miss a single match played by Three Star’ Ramesh Ale a die hard fan proudly says ‘I went to Pokhara, Dharan and Hetuda to support the players.’

This year alone Three Star Club participated in three tournaments outside the valley, The Sahara Gold Club, Buddha Subha Cup and Martyr’s Memorial National Football held in Pokhara, Dharan and Hetuda respectively. According to Lailt Krishna Shrestha, Chairman, of Three Star Club on all those three occasions its local fans from Patan were present there to cheer up their team.

‘There are about 70 to 80 such die -hard fans who travel everywhere with the team to support us,’ says Shrestha. He described these fans to be between the age of 20 to 50.  If the matches are outside the valley these fans reach the venue once the team gets to the semifinal.

‘We reach the venue when the team reaches semifinal.’  Ale resident of Patan says ‘ We hire vehicles and get there on our own to boast the moral of our players.’ The players appreciate the presence of the fans as they feel that these supporters liven up the game. ‘Supporters like them add spark on the field.’ Surendra Tamang the Captain of Three Star Club says, ‘ Presence of fans and their weird activities make us proud of our profession.’

These fans also give away cash prizes to the players when they win their heart with good performance. On a number of occasions they have thrown party to these players on their success. ‘Football is my passion and I do what I can to boast the players moral,’ said Hari Maharjan who owns a brick factory.

According to Chairman Shrestha these fans don’t just warm the benches but help the club in times of need. ‘In the earlier days some of the fans donated us cash they collected specifically for the club while playing cards, ‘ Shrestha says ‘ they even raise fund raising programs for us. ‘

When the Club got selected to compete in the AFC two years ago around five hundred fans, had gathered on a rainy morning, for the rally organized to wish the team good luck recalled Shrestha.

Three Star’s fans are also superstitious.  On big occasions they go and offer prayer to local temples for team’s luck. ‘We want to leave no stone unturned for the success of the team,’says Kapil Narayn Joshi. Joshi said among them is Bibek, a 15-year-old student, doesn’t forget to go to church on crucial games of his favorite club.  Its a know fact among league followers that number of spectator’s increases drastically every time three star has a match at Dashrath Stadium. ‘Football is our passion and we like to help players in any way we like’, says Maharjan.

These fans interact with the players about their games and warn the management committee when they feel it’s not acting fairly.  Three Star was going through a lean patch during last year’s league and the fans were worried. Shrestha say’s the fans finally lost their cool when the Army won 4-0 over the club. ‘Then fans bugged the management committee accusing them of selling off good players with greed and had also warned the club that they would take action,’ says Shrestha. Kapil Narayan Joshi a die- hard Three Star Fan recalling the situation says’ we were worried with the team’s performance and did our duty.’ Joshi runs a hardware shop in Patan.

Like wise when the club had won the league last time, which was two years ago, fans had filled the road form Tripureshwor to Pulchwok to welcome their heroes.  Three Star’s players say feel they are proud to have such wonderful supporters who stick with them in thick and thin. ‘We are proud of our fans,’ says Tamang.