The year 2024 was very happy for Nepali sports. Sport is now the only means and formula to overcome the widespread despair among Nepalis. Sports is the only field that has brought Nepali happiness and self-respect in the world.

Sports have long been doing the job of instilling hope in the Nepali society, which has been extremely disappointed by political instability, underdevelopment and slowness. There was a time, when there was a communal slogan in the country, sports also did the job of tying it to the formula of unity. Sports is the only field where caste, religion, gender and caste are not seen. Only Nepaliness and Nepali mind are seen. 

Looking back to the year 2024, Nepali cricket team's World Cup tour, Palesha Govardhan's historic bronze medal won by Nepal in Taekwondo at the Paralympics, the under-19 Nepali women's cricket team qualifying for the World Cup and the successful hosting of the first edition of the Nepal Premier League Cricket NPL can be considered special.&nbsp ;

There is no need to say how much the audience's craze is in games played in groups like football, cricket, and volleyball in Nepal. But to see where we stand in terms of infrastructure, one can only look at the faces of supporters who are disappointed by not getting tickets to watch the game. To understand the inclination of the Nepalese audience towards the game, the number of spectators who are disappointed by not getting a limited number of tickets when an international tournament is organized is only limited.

For example, at the SAFF Women's Championship in Kathmandu, many spectators were deprived of live matches due to the limited number of seats at Dashrath Stadium. The All Nepal Football Association also lost financially. The situation is similar not only in football, but also in cricket and volleyball international tournaments.

Nepal missed out on making history by winning the SAFF Championship title for the first time. However, a record was established in Nepali sports. More than 1 million people watched the final match between Nepal and Bangladesh 'Live' on Kantipur Max HD's YouTube channel alone. Which is the record number of Nepali sports so far. 

The semi-final between Nepal and India was watched by 5 lakh 26 thousand and the volleyball record was broken. Earlier, 4 lakh 7 thousand people watched 'live' the final between Nepal and India in Kava Women's Volleyball Nations League in Kathmandu last July. If you add in the number of viewers watching on television, it becomes even more. Apart from television and digital platforms, there is no dearth of spectators who go to stadiums, covered halls and fields to watch matches. But even though we have the audience, we lack the infrastructure.

The spectators who came to watch the opening match of NPL had to raise slogans because of the lack of tickets. The crowd was so large that more than a dozen were injured. Not only for the finals, 5 to 7 thousand spectators used to reach Kirtipur on other days as well. It is difficult to find such an audience when there are other games. 

Nepali spectators especially try to reach the stadium to boost the morale of their players. That's why queues start three hours before ticket sales start. But not everyone gets a ticket. The reason for this is the audience capacity of Dashrath Stadium. The stadium with a capacity of 15,000 cannot bear the load of Nepali supporters.

The situation abroad is different, even in some developed countries that have played the World Cup, supporters are urged to come to watch women's football. But because there is no stadium in Nepal, supporters cannot watch the game.

Due to the limited capacity of the stadium, this time the final of the SAFF Championship was also shown on the big screen at various locations in the country, including Tundikhel in Kathmandu. where thousands of supporters were present. Be it when volleyball is held at the National Sports Council's Covered Hall or the cricket tournament at the TU ground in Kirtipur, the spectators are packed. But if you look at the infrastructure, it is interesting. 

A similar situation exists in the infrastructure of Nepali cricket. Cricket is not only a game but also a dream and a path to the future for the youth of the country. Today, not only Nepali cricket players, but millions of supporters who come to watch this game have become an inspiration. The NPL has given players a platform to compete with foreign players as well as opening doors to professional opportunities. The presence of international players like Shikhar Dhawan has further enhanced the prestige of the tournament.

The passion and enthusiasm shown by the spectators at the Kirtipur ground has made the Cricket Association (CAN) aware of more responsibility. Due to the limited capacity of the ground, thousands of supporters sat outside the stadium and in the surrounding trees to watch the game. Such a scene has clearly highlighted the need for a modern stadium with a capacity of more than 50,000. Seeing the fans from all over the country make this game their dream and hope, one feels that cricket is more than just a game, a symbol of national pride.

With the live broadcast of this competition by Star Sports Television, Nepal has spread its identity to the world. This achievement has increased international interest and support for Nepali cricket. Nepal Premier League has not only given hope to the players but also a new dream for millions of youth. In these times of despair, cricket has spread the light of excitement and pride. Now the government needs to pay special attention to take Nepali cricket to a higher level and build a stadium with a large audience capacity. 

In Nepali sports, it is important to pay attention not only to the audience's presence but also to their interest. Because not all medal winning games have the same number of spectators. Supporters of the game vary from country to country. India has cricket, football in Brazil, American soccer is the most watched in the US, and martial arts is the most popular in China.

What all this confirms is that those games became popular because the audience liked them. Even if the world championship of the sport is organized without the presence of spectators, it cannot rise above the indoor competition. The presence of spectators has become a mandatory condition for the expansion and development of the game. 

Now the question arises how to attract the audience to the game or create attraction in them for a new game? If we look at an example from some time ago, all the spectators who came to Kirtipur to watch the NPL did not understand cricket. Some of them went because of the provincial team, some went to see the foreign players closely. Some even went to post on social media that they had come to Kirtipur to watch the NPL. However, Nepali cricket benefited directly from all these steps and Nepali sports as a whole benefited indirectly. 

Palesha Govardhan's game, which gave Nepal its first and only medal in the Olympics, is not special. But when he arrived after winning a medal at the Paris Paralympics, he was greeted at the airport by thousands. Audience presence is sometimes associated with success. And, to achieve success, programs should be run through grassroots labels by identifying sports with potential for medals. Due to the recent success and popularity of women's volleyball, this game is now played in all 77 districts of Nepal. In order to expand the

sports field, live broadcast through television can be arranged keeping in mind the audience who cannot reach the place where the competition is held. If we look at the example of neighboring India, Kabaddi and Badminton leagues were broadcasted live on television and brought to the peak of discussion. Now big sponsors are also involved in those competitions. A game that once had no audience is now full of spectators.