Nepali footballers pull their socks up as Richmond Mavericks FC, a semi-professional football team from the northeast of England, arrives this week for plays offs against local teams. The tour is being coordinated in Nepal by nepa~laya in collaboration with Kathmandu Khel Mandal (KKM).

"We are glad to welcome the Mavericks to Nepal," says Binay Pradhan of KKM. "I am confident that our players in Nepal will enjoy playing and interacting with the visiting players."

The Richmond Mavericks' squad is aged between 20-29. Star players include the two centre-backs, Dan Johnson and Jason Newall, and former Middlesbrough FC youth player, Adam Dunwoodie. While in Nepal, they will play four matches, two in Kathmandu and one each in Butwal and Pokhara.

"We're aware the standard in Nepal is very strong. We've been following the AFC qualifiers in Kathmandu and its clear there are some outstanding players in Nepal," says Owen Amos, the tour manager. The team was scheduled to come to Nepal last year but the trip was cancelled because of the Icelandic volcano.

It's not the first time the Richmond Mavericks have played in Asia. In 2007, the team toured Sri Lanka, where they played three Premier League sides.

The team will also run open training sessions, which local youngsters are welcome to attend. The Mavericks squad includes a number of FA- qualified coaches and one UEFA 'B licence' holder.

All games start at 3.30pm
Binay Singh Pradhan, 9841200755
Arpan Sharma, 4412469