April 15, 2015 – All Nepal Football Association General Secretary Dhirendra Pradhan won the Sarad Chandra Shah Memorial Award 2071 for his contrition to Nepali football.
At the event held at the ANFA Complex on Wednesday, RPP-N Chairman/ CA Member Kamal Thapa, who is also the former President of the ANFA, gave away the award to Pradhan. The award carries a purse of Rs.500,000.

 Speaking at the award ceremony, Pradhan thanked the ANFA for recognizing his contribution to football. He also spoke about the motivation that the honour would give him in the days to come.
“I have been involved in football for the last 45 years, first as a player, then as a coach and now as an administrator. I am very delighted to have my work recognized by the football association,” he said, praising the contribution made by late Sarad Chandra Shah, during his capacity as the member secretary of the National Sports Council.
Shah, former member secretary of National Sports Council, is largely credited for his visionary role in the development of sports in the country. It was in his tenure that all the existing sporting infrastructure were built around the country.
Chief guest of the programme, CA Member Kamal Thapa, who worked under Shah at the National Sports Council, described Shah as a ‘multi dynamic personality, great leader and the founder of modern Nepali sports’.
“He was a man who could work in the most difficult circumstances. He was not only active in sports, but his contribution can also be found in the literature and musical field of the country,” he said. “The South Asian Games was his brain child and he also served as the Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia. He was a great leader and a great visionary.”
Speaking about Pradhan, Thapa said that he got to know Pradhan when the latter was in the national team. “There are many instances that I remember of Pradhan, but the most telling one was during Kathmandu XI’s match against East Bengal in India. Kathmandu XI had won a free kick and Pradhan was there to take it. He hit the ball with such power that the ball injured one of the opposition players standing in the wall. The player had to be taken out,” he recalled.
Acting President of the All Nepal Football Association Lalit Krishna Shrestha also praised the contribution of Shah in sports.
Secretary of the National Sports Council Deependra Nath Sharma spoke about the contribution made by Shah in Nepali sports, saying that the leader of his sort was hard to find.
Bigyan Sharma, AIG Nepal Police and a former Nepal international, recalled the motivational speeches he delivered ahead of the matches. “His speeches had such feelings of patriotism that one would be ready to go for the battle right away,” he said.
Likewise, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council Yuva Raj Lama said that none of the member secretaries after him have matched his contribution to Nepali sports.
Ajay Phyual, President of the Nepal Sports Journalists Forum, advised ANFA to bring more visionary programmes like the way Shah did to develop Nepali sports.
Nehita Shah, daughter of late Shah, thanked the ANFA for organizing an award in his honour.
“Discipline and visionary have been synonyms to late Shah,” she said congratulating Pradhan for the award.
Dhirendra Pradhan

Club debut: 1975AD (2031BS) from Mahendra Police
Career Highlights
National Clubs: Mahendra Police Club, Jhapa XI, Mahabir Club, Boys Union Club, RCT, Friends’ Club, Sunakhari Club-Sanepa, NRT.
International:
Aghakhan International Golf Vup Football Tournament, Bangladesh in 1979
23^rd Asian Youth Football Championship, Nepal in 1982
9^th Asian Games, India in 1982
Qst South Asian Federation Games, Nepal 1984 (Winner)
World Cup pre qualifying Matches, Nepal, Korea and Malaysia in 1985
Asian Club Championship, Sri Lanka in 1985
2^nd South Asia Federation Games, Bangladesh in 1985 (Third Place)
10^th Asian Games, Seoul, korea in 1986
Exhibition Football Match -  USSR (1981 & 1987), China (1982),East Germany (1987), Germany (1988)
3^rd South Asian Federation Games, India in 1987 (Runners’ up)
4^th South Asian Federation Games, Pakistan in 1989
Positions Held:
Coach-MPC(1989,1995,1998) & APF(2002-2007)
Incharge of ANFA Football Academy(1999-2001)
Executive Member, ANFA(2001-2005)
ANFA Joiny Secretary(2005-2009)
Anfa General Secy (2009-2013,2013-Present)
Executive Member of Nepal Olympic Committee (2007-2011)
Vice President of NOC (2011-2015)
Participations:
ANFA delegate in 2002 World Cup, Korea
NOC Delegate in 2012 London Olympics, 2011 Asian Games Guangzhou and 8^th World Conference on Sports and Env. In Vancouver, Canada 2009.
Delegates of Nepal in FIFA Congress (Morocco 2005, Bahmas 2009, Switzerland 2011 and Mauritius 2013)