Image source, ANFA
Rohit Paudel, Dipendra Singh Airee, and Sandeep Lamichhane have recently been promoted to the ‘A Plus’ category by the Nepal Cricket Association, receiving a monthly salary of 120,000 rupees under the improved ‘Central Contract’ system.
This monthly income is considered quite good for athletes in the context of Nepali sports.
Other sports associations have been unable to provide such benefits to national players, leading to increased athlete migration and renewed discussions about professionalism in sports.
In Nepal, the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) was the first to arrange monthly salaries for national team players. The Nepal Volleyball Association had also, for a time, provided monthly salaries to its main players.
But how do athletes in other sports sustain themselves? Are they starting to move abroad due to the lack of regular income? Such questions are frequently raised.
ANFA General Secretary Kiran Rai remarked, “The sports association does not pay the salaries directly; it creates the environment. The clubs pay the salaries. The salary given by ANFA acts like a bonus.”
Globally, only a few sports associations provide monthly salaries as a standard practice.
In many countries, national sports associations pay athletes through central contracts, match fees, bonuses, and awards rather than regular salaries.
Only Three Sports Associations Provide Regular Salaries
ANFA is considered the first sports association in Nepal to start paying monthly salaries to national players, initiating payments of 1,500 rupees monthly in 1995. Five years later, this was increased to 2,000 rupees.
Later, ANFA increased monthly salaries for both men’s and women’s national teams to amounts between 18,000 and 30,000 rupees.
The Cricket Association also appears to have begun paying monthly salaries from 2014 (Nepali year 2071).
Two years ago, the Nepal Volleyball Association provided monthly salaries of 5,000 rupees to both the men’s and women’s national teams, funding that was raised by volleyball enthusiasts living in the United States.
However, this initiative was not sustainable, and the association is now planning to provide stable monthly salaries on its own.
Association General Secretary Roshan Shrestha explains, “We used funds sent by 40 volleyball enthusiasts in the U.S. to pay salaries, but since this was not sustainable, we are making our own efforts now.”
He adds, “As the saying goes, ‘God says, dare and I will support you,’ we have decided to be bold.”
How Do Athletes Earn Income?
Globally, only a handful of sports like football, cricket, and rugby pay their athletes monthly salaries under central contracts.
For instance, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) classifies male cricketers into four categories for salary purposes, with ‘A Plus’ category players earning up to 70 million Indian rupees annually.
Most athletes earn through club contracts, professional league participation, sponsorships, awards, or honors.
Nepali cricketers have taken a lead in this area. Just last week, Sandeep Lamichhane renewed his five-year brand ambassador contract with Bridge International Consultancy.
Football players earn income by being contracted with ‘A,’ ‘B,’ or ‘C’ clubs, with the long history of the Martyrs Memorial League helping provide attractive salaries.
In the Nepal Premier League (NPL) cricket, players have earned up to 2 million rupees in one season. Volleyball and kabaddi athletes earn through franchise clubs, and franchise patterns are also expanding in table tennis and badminton.
Affiliation With Departmental Clubs
In Nepal, many athletes sustain their sports careers mainly through affiliation with departmental teams.
Thousands of athletes are affiliated with three major departmental teams: Nepal Police Club, Tribhuvan Army Club, and Armed Police Force (APF) Club. Some hold permanent positions within the departments, while others are contracted athletes.
Departmental athletes receive not only regular, professional-level training but also opportunities to focus fully on their sport.
Departmental teams have effectively been managing Nepali sports activities.
Olympic Scholarships
Recently, the Nepal Olympic Committee has been distributing Olympic scholarships, which offer attractive benefits to athletes. However, the number of recipients remains small.
For the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, eight athletes have been awarded this scholarship: judoka Manita Shrestha Pradhan, tennis player Shibali Gurung, cyclist Usha Khanal, table tennis player Ivana Thapa, badminton player Prince Dahal, Olympic sport climber Tenzing Bertin Rai, swimmer Ervin Shrestha, and golfer Sadbhaw Acharya.
The recipients receive $1,125 per month, making this the largest monetary award in Nepali sports history.
Nepal Olympic Committee Chairman Jeevan Ram Shrestha states, “This scholarship is provided to us by the International Olympic Committee and selects the top athletes.”
Similarly, for the upcoming Asian Games, five athletes have received scholarships from the Nepal Olympic Committee, each receiving 50,000 rupees monthly.
Awards and Honors
Allowances and service benefits during competition preparations serve as alternative income sources for athletes.
Many major countries provide athletes with regular allowances or benefits, which often become their primary income source.
The Nepalese government has declared that it will provide awards and medals to athletes who win at official events such as the Olympics and South Asian Games. However, these are not permanent sources of income.
At the recent Paris Paralympics, bronze medalists Palesa Govardhan and Vijay Singhali have already received 6.5 million rupees from the government.
Weak National Associations
Many national sports associations in Nepal are unable to offer good financial benefits due to lack of consistent income sources.
Yubaraj Lama, President of the Nepal Karate Federation, states, “The Karate Federation faces financial shortage and is not in a position to regularly support national athletes.”
Some athletes say they would be happy with just a better playing environment, even if they do not receive a monthly salary.
Top table tennis player Navita Maharjan states, “I have been playing for 20 years. We only need a consistent environment to play regularly more than a salary.”
While the honor and pride of playing in national jerseys remain, athletes are striving to find regular incomes. Without support, or if the financial reward is insufficient, migration of athletes abroad has become a harsh reality for Nepal.
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