The process of constructing first of the three artificial football mini-pitches started in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

Under the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) assistance, the foundation stone for the AFC Mini-Pitch was laid at the Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School in Balaju.

The artificial facility will have the playing surface of 40x20 metres. According to All Nepal Football Association (Anfa), the pitch will be constructed in three places in Nepal as part of the AFC President Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa‘s initiative. That means each of the three facilities will be able to spend $100,000 to complete the project.

The football governing body of Nepal had appealed all district football associations and clubs to apply for the project. The interested parties were required to either have a land of their own or provide it on lease to the second party to build the facility for at least 10 years. In Kathmandu, top-tier outfits New Road Team (NRT) was selected by the Anfa which in turn leased their land to the Sacred Heart for “initial 10 years”.

Other two pitches will be constructed in Makawanpur and Nawalparasi districts, informed Anfa. AFC has allocated a total of $300,000 to construct three such mini-pitches around the country. The amount will be used only to lay the pitch and surround the facilities with fences equipped with lights.

 Anfa said that the pitch in Balaju will serve as training ground for NRT as well as serve the needs of the school’s football activities and local community. The AFC Mini-Pitch Partner will be appointed to construct the facility and all projects under AFC budget must be completed by the AFC Mini-Pitch Partner. National Sports Council Member Secretary Keshav Kumar Bista and Anfa President Narendra Shrestha laid the foundation stone for the construction of the facility.

Anfa President Shrestha said the initiative was a major boost for football fraternity especially the clubs, who don’t have their own ground. “It will help ease the burden of the club as they can have their own training facility,” he said.