Last year, the Cricket Association of Nepal’s President met with officials from Queensland Cricket to sign a memorandum of understanding, solidifying the working relationship between the two organisations.
The President of the Queensland Nepalese Cricket Association (QNCA), based in South Brisbane, Ramji Khanal, said the meaning had helped propel cricket’s popularity in the Nepalese community in Queensland and Nepal.
“It’s a very popular sport at the moment in Nepal,” Mr Khanal said.
Over the past decade, cricket in Nepal has become increasingly popular, and so has the demand for players.
Three players from the QNCA travelled to Nepal to play in the Nepalese Premier League, Mr Khanal said.
A further eight QNCA members have played for the Nepalese national cricket team,
“Our other players can learn from their international experience, which is great,” Mr Khanal said.
“Most of our players are students, or they work a lot, and they may not have a lot of connection to the community, so joining us to play on Sundays is really good for their mental health.
“They enjoy playing a lot, and that’s the main reason we began the association, because we wanted to support the Nepalese, especially students who have come from Nepal.”
The QNCA began in 2021, and currently has 12 teams all over south-east Queensland, including teams in Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and Brisbane, with more expected to join the association this winter.
“There are a lot of south Asian cricket associations that existed and played already, like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have owned their own association, so we thought we’d do the same,” Mr Khanal said.
“We’re promoting and playing only for the Nepalese community.”
At the moment, players range from 13 years of age to 45 years old, and all age groups play in the same teams.
But from the coming winter season, teams will be divided into Grade A and Grade B, which will be age-determined, Mr Khanal said.
“So that’ll mean of the 14 clubs we expect to have this winter, seven teams will play in one tournament, Grade A, and then another seven teams will be playing in Grade B,” he said.
The QNCA’s south Brisbane teams train and play in Richlands and Pallara, but have trouble finding nets and grounds, as they have to compete with other local cricket associations for space.
“The main problem we have currently is that we don’t have any home ground,” Mr Khanal said.
In January, the QNCA received a $16,000 grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund Queensland to pay for expenses like cricket equipment, hiring grounds and umpires.
“That is really helpful for us because tournaments can be really expensive to run, so we’re grateful to have received that grant,” Mr Khanal said.
The QNCA’s final game of the summer will be held from 8am on 22 February at Moggill Sports Park.
