England C v Nepal is more than just a game

By Steve Gibbs

TO SOME people, England C’s Bank Holiday Monday meeting with Nepal at Aldershot Town’s EBB Stadium might seem like just another random end-of-season fixture in search of a home.

But to residents of the town proud to be known across the world as ‘Home of the British Army’, it is a match steeped in history and rich in cultural significance.

Many will think it’s the long-overdue second leg of a 2015 tie, when the Shots’ Academy side became the first ever European team to play in Nepal. Or, for some of Aldershot’s 10,500 Nepalese residents, it is the latest milestone in a journey which began in 1815.

That was the year the first Gurkha troops were recruited into the British Army.

Now, after soldiers and their families won the right to settle in the UK following two centuries of distinguished service, a thriving Nepalese community calls this corner of north-east Hampshire home.

Twice His Holiness the Dalai Lama has addressed huge audiences from the EBB Stadium pitch, and visitors can’t fail to notice the grandiose Buddhist Community Centre right next door.

Some 4,500 miles from Kathmandu, they will now watch their national side play its first ever game outside Asia and Oceania.

Aldershot Town’s visit to Nepal in 2015 was as much about community engagement as footballing ambition, to foster a greater understanding of the club’s new neighbours and the beautiful, poverty-stricken country they had left behind.

On arrival, the young Shots were showered with Malas flower garlands and received a welcome befitting Premier League stars amidst the typical colour and chaos of a developing nation. They failed to win the annual Gold Cup tournament, played at the country’s largest stadium, but made many friends.

A few months later, some of the remote areas they had visited were hit by a devastating earthquake. Immediately, the club led fundraising efforts, and adopted two schools in Gurkha heartlands. Those projects were co-ordinated with Hampshire-based Nepalese charity Sahara, founders of a sports academy for disadvantaged children at the foot of the Himalayas.

On the face of it, Monday is a unique chance for ex-pat Nepalese fans to support the next generation of heroes in person, and possibly see Anjan Bista become their all-time leading goalscorer. The Shots, naturally, will hope to recruit new supporters ready to say ‘Namaste’ to the National League.

But whatever language you speak, these cultural exchanges prove that football is never ‘just a game’.

ENGAGEMENT: Aldershot Town went to Nepal for a community visit in 2015