By Chris McAsey

When you live in the world’s second most mountainous country (apparently, just 15m lower than Bhutan), there are bound to be logistical challenges to launching a footy competition.

When you add in challenging road conditions and drenching monsoon rains, it’s no surprise that the spread of footy in Nepal has been an uphill battle.

But Nepalese people are famous for their resilience and work ethic, and the Himalayan Leopards are determined to introduce the game to school children and establish a local competition.

Chairman of the Leopards Ram Koirala said the first club was formed in Pokhara in 2017, predominantly made up of students who had studied in Australia.

‘We had a dream of bringing the culture of Australia to Nepal through sport,’ Ram said.

‘We introduced AFL footy to Nepal for the first time in 2017 and since then we have been working towards development of the sport across the country.’

With footballs brought home from Australia, the Leopards approached schools with an offer to introduce students to the sport.

‘We provided free training three times a week and created two teams from local schools in Pokhara,’ Ram says.

‘There was a lot of excitement about the game and the new ball was really interesting for them.’

‘We taught them about working as a team, communicating well and the benefits of being physically and mentally active in their lives.’

‘At the end of every month we created a game and provided a BBQ lunch and medals for the winning team.’

In an effort to expand the footy footprint in Nepal, the Leopards applied for and received an AFL Asia Development Grant in 2024.

The Leopards targeted the capital Kathmandu and sports-mad towns around the country with a proposal to carry out training camps for local school children.

And while their proposal was well received, a series of bureaucratic and natural obstacles has so far delayed progress.

‘We had to renew our club membership with the government’s District Sports Development Committee and by the time that went through the boys were in the middle of exams,’ Ram explains.

‘We are now planning to do the training camps once this monsoon rain season is over.’

‘In the meantime we have made jerseys for four teams so we are ready to play!’

One of the villages getting involved is Shishaghat, two hours’ drive from Pokhara at the base of the Annapurna IV Mountain range.

‘The village runs a lot of sports events throughout the year,’ Ram says.

‘We visited the village and talked to three schools and two community clubs. We aim to train at least 50 students from four different schools for a week.’

‘Sports teachers and locals have shown great interest in the project which will introduce a new game and also provide the opportunity to learn about Australian football and culture.’

Ram says a new team is also in the process of being formed in the capital, Kathmandu.

‘We have had so much interest in developing footy in our country and we hope it will grow the connections between our two countries.’