FC Nepal United (FCNU) is the soccer club based in Greater Toronto Area- GTA, founded in 2006. The predecessor was GTNSC founded in 2004.For inquiry on FCNU please email
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Below is a feature article on FCNU by Diplav Sapkota. This article can also be read in the upcoming NCCS publication of Saugat Magazine 2007.
FC Nepal United.....The dream goes on
After a relatively successful debut year, that saw the newly christened football club compete for the 3rd place in the Pawo Thupten Ngodup Memorial Cup, the sophomore season was bound to be more challenging. It started with optimism and whetted appetites with each player determined to establish themselves and the club as bedrock for future sporting events in the Nepali Community. A twofold aim: competing in the Association of Nepalese in the Americas (ANA) tournament in New Jersey and forming a junior team was adopted for the new season.
The contrariety of setting goals and actually realizing them soon dawned upon the team as they set about trying bringing out the younger Nepali jawans to the ground. The idea of training the younger Nepali kids was not only to provide a breeding ground for future recruits but also serve a communal responsibility of fostering a healthy environment where kids could get physical exercise and enjoy the summer away from video games and the boob tube. This however was not to be. Despite the sincere efforts of Mr. Komal Sapkota, the ultimate football enthusiast, who even arranged to pick and drop off the kids from their homes, and provide snacks, only a few appeared. Those few too were very irregular. The initiative was eventually shelved.
Concurrently, efforts at readying a team for the ANA tournament were frustrating at best. Recruiting new players was undoubtedly a formidable task but more exasperating was the fact that Uttam Shrestha, the Koirala brothers, and Prakash Poudyal - the pillars of the team would not be able to cross the border due to visa issues. The influential midfielder, Anjan Chhettri, could not attend either due to his studies in France. Severely lacking players and out of options the second goal for the season was about to be scrapped when Sudhir Prajapati and subsequently Janmanjay Ranjit joined the team. Invitation from Ottawa to play a friendly game further breathed new life to the wilting team. The Ottawa trip, funded partly by Pashupatinath Nepalese Culture and Community Centre (PNCCC), served not only to consolidate and rejuvenate the team but also led to the prospects of some of their players joining us for the ANA games. On another level, it was also the first conscious effort at establishing some form of formal relations between the Nepali diasporas in Ottawa and Toronto. The game (which FCNU went to win impressively) served as a harbinger of collaboration between the Nepali communities of the two cities.
The ANA games were fast approaching and we had only half a team. It is said that leaders emerge out of a crisis and that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Angshul Moktan,and Sabin Ninglekhu, displaying precisely such leadership, taking the reins of the team and steering them towards New Jersey. Fervently, we set about securing the services of some Tibetan friends whom we knew through our games. By the eve of our departure, we had an impressive lineup and a competitive team with a legitimate shot at lifting the coveted cup.
Forming the team was only one aspect of representing the Nepali community at the ANA convention. Financing our accommodation, transport, and registration was another. Individuals like Mr. Berma, Subba dais, and Mr. M. KC generously supported our cause but it was Nepalese Canadian Community Services (NCCS) that shouldered most of our costs. Their wholehearted generosity and sincere attempts to foster sporting events within the community led to FCNU being co-opted into the organizational framework as its sporting wing. Henceforth FCNU was to represent NCCS.
FCNU debuted in the ANA games as outsiders. 7 goals against Connecticut and 5 against Nebraska affirmed our status as the team to watch. By the end of the first game everyone was talking about the fluidity, organization, and the flair of our game. New York Nepalese Youth Club (NYNYC) our next opponents and defending champions were rightly dreading the meet. Dubbed the game of the tournament by many, the semi-final game ended sadly in favor of NYNYC after 120 minutes of outstanding football and 8 penalties. Not bad for the new team on the block eh!
FCNU has risen from tatters into a close knit fraternity providing a social network for anyone interested in sports. We've developed from individuals to a team. We've become family. It is our hope that more join us and help us expand beyond football. What our community lacks are vibrant sporting events to foster team spirit and outlets from our everyday chores. It is this void we aim to fill and rally our community behind teams that will do them proud.
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