[1] In 2001, the A-Division was created as a football competition for teams in Thimphu and was the premier league in the country, supplying the Bhutanese representative to the AFC President's Cup.

In 2011 the A-Division was played only as a single round-robin set of matches in anticipation of the establishment of a true national league.

[4] The inaugural league commenced having signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola worth Nu 3 million in total,[5] along with further sponsorship from Tashi Beverages, Druk Air, Zimdra Food and Samden Group,[6] with the aim ultimately to have a football team playing in the National League from each of the 20 Dzongkhags according to the Bhutan Football Federation.

[6] Thimphu dominance of Bhutanese football continued initially, with Yeedzin winning the first National League title.

[9] In an attempt to attract more non-Thimphu teams into the competition, the federation increased the prize money from Nu 400,000 to 700,000 for the winners.

As of 2023, the league is broadcast live on FIFA+,[15][16] and also locally (limited to Thimphu only) on Norling and Etho Metho cable services.