Choden FC

{{Short description|Bhutanese football club}} {{Infobox football club |clubname = Choden |image= |fullname=Choden Football Club |nickname= |founded= |ground=Changlimithang <br> Thimphu, Bhutan |coordinates= |capacity=15,000 |chairman= |mgrtitle= |manager= |league=Bhutan A-Division |season=2011 |position=5th<ref name="RSSSF2011">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan2011.html|title=Bhutan 2011|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|last2=Jigmi|first2=Sonam|date=19 Sep 2013|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> |current= |pattern_la1= |pattern_b1= |pattern_ra1= |pattern_sh1= |pattern_so1= |leftarm1= |body1= |rightarm1= |shorts1= |socks1= |pattern_la2= |pattern_b2= |pattern_ra2= |pattern_sh2= |pattern_so2= |leftarm2= |body2= |rightarm2= |shorts2= |socks2= |website= }}

'''Choden Football Club''' was a football club from Bhutan,<ref name="RSSSF2011" /> based at Changlimithang, consisting of players from the U-19 Bhutan national team,<ref name="RSSSF2009">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan09.html|title=Bhutan 2009|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|last2=Nima|first2=Chokey|date=27 Aug 2010|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> who played in the Bhutan A-Division, then the top level of football in Bhutan, but since replaced by a full national league.<ref name="RSSSF2012">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan2012.html|title=Bhutan 2012|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|last2=Stokkermans|first2=Karel|last3=Jigmi|first3=Sonam|date=28 Feb 2013|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> They finished fifth in the 2011 season,<ref name="RSSSF2011" /> the last season where the A-Division was the top flight. Although they were not formally relegated at the end of the 2011 season, they do not appear to have taken part either in the 2012 A-Division, nor consequently the 2012–13 Bhutan National League.<ref name="RSSSF2012"/>

==History== The first recorded mention of Choden competing in Bhutanese football is in 2005 when they won the final of the B-Division beating Rookies F.C. 3–0.<ref name="RSSSF2005">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan05.html|title=Bhutan 2005|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|date=4 Oct 2006|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> The bottom two teams in the A-Division, Rigzung Club and Dzongree, for that season played off against Choden and Rookies to determine which two would play top-flight football the following season.<ref name="RSSSF2005" /> No results are known, but from the available data from 2006, it appears that Choden were promoted from this, whilst Dzongree were relegated.<ref name="RSSSF2006" />

Choden's first appearance in the A-Division was in 2006, although their final position is not known as only a few results are known together with a very fragmentary final table.<ref name="RSSSF2006">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan06.html|title=Bhutan 2006|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|date=2 Aug 2007|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> Choden's only known result for that season was a 1–0 victory against Druk Pol.<ref name="RSSSF2006" />

They were not relegated however, as they competed in the following season, where they finished sixth out of eight teams narrowly avoiding relegation.<ref name="RSSSF2007">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan07.html|title=Bhutan 2007|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|date=11 Jul 2008|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> Again, details for this season are patchy at best. The only recorded results for Choden are a 1–1 draw with Yeedzin and a 4–0 loss to eventual champions Transport United.<ref name="RSSSF2007" /> Their final points tally is also not known, as there is nor record of their score in their final game against Druk Pol.<ref name="RSSSF2007" /> However, the maximum it could have been is 20 as they were on 17 points going into that game.<ref name="RSSSF2007" />

Their final position in the next season is unknown, although the highest they could have finished was fourth as the top three finishers, Yeedzin, Transport United and Royal Bhutan Army are known.<ref name="RSSSF2008">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan08.html|title=Bhutan 2008|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|date=9 Jul 2009|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> However, at the halfway stage in the season, they were in sixth place, above Druk Athletic on goal difference with six points, having won two of their seven games to that point.<ref name="RSSSF2008" /> The only two known results for Choden in 2008 were 1–1 draws with Druk Pol and Yeedzin.<ref name="RSSSF2008" /> They could conceivably have finished bottom in the previous season, but since no clubs were promoted or relegated, they were guaranteed top-flight football in the 2009 season.<ref name="RSSSF2008" />

Choden recorded their best ever performance in 2009, finishing fourth,<ref name="RSSSF2009" /> winning six and drawing four of their thirteen matches (an odd number of games was played as Royal Bhutan Army withdrew halfway through the season, in fact Choden did not play the army team at all, their first match against them being awarded to Choden 2–0 following the army's withdrawal).<ref name="RSSSF2009" /> This strong performance included an 11–0 victory over Druk Athletic and a 5–0 win against Rigzung.<ref name="RSSSF2009" /> Choden also performed strongly in the cup competition, as they reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Club Cup Championship, losing 4–1 to Yeedzin.<ref name="RSSSF2009" />

In both the 2010 and 2011 seasons, their final seasons of recorded competition, they finished in fifth place.<ref name="RSSSF2011" /><ref name="RSSSF2010">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan2010.html|title=Bhutan 2010|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|last2=Chhetri|first2=Dinesh|last3=Dorji|first3=Mindu|date=13 Sep 2012|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> In 2010, they finished well off the pace, recording victories only against the bottom club Nangpa 2–1 and 4–2 and Druk Athletic 4–3.<ref name="RSSSF2010" /> With only nine points for the whole season, they finished thirteen points behind fourth placed Druk Star, and having suffered a number of heavy defeats, including an 8–0 loss to Druk Pol and a 6–0 defeat against Yeedzin, they finished with a −22 goal difference.<ref name="RSSSF2010" />

No details other than their final position are known for 2011.<ref name="RSSSF2011" /> Again, they finished above Nangpa and Druk Athletic in a truncated season that was contested as a single round-robin set of matches in anticipation of the commencement of a full national league, which was in fact delayed by a further year.<ref name="RSSSF2011" /> This was their last season of competition to date at the highest level of competition in Bhutan. They did not compete in the A-Division in 2012.<ref name="RSSSF2012"/> It is unclear from the scant details available whether they played at a lower level that season, but an under-16 team competed the following year in the B-Division<ref name="RSSSF2013">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan2013.html|title=Bhutan 2013|last=Schöggl|first=Hans|last2=Stokkermans|first2=Karel|last3=Jigmi|first3=Sonam|date=20 Feb 2014|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref> and an under-18 team rejoined the A-Division for the 2014 season, who could be considered successors to Choden, although they have not competed under that name.<ref name="RSSSF2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/bhutan2014.html|title=Bhutan 2014|last=Stokkermans|first=Karel|last2=Jigmi|first2=Sonam|date=22 May 2014|website=RSSSF|publisher=Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|access-date=27 June 2014}}</ref>

==Achievements== *'''Bhutanese B-Division''' **Champions (1): 2005

==References== {{reflist|2}}

Category:Football clubs in Bhutan Category:Sport in Thimphu