Greetings! Welcome to the briefing of July 2018.
I must start by sharing with you, that the four semi-finalists of the World Cup in Russia, undertook major Football Development changes in their country over the last 10 – 15 years.
England as an example have not played in a semi-final in any competition for over 28 years.
I and my colleagues believe that Football in Bangladesh will go from strength to strength but we must be patient. We are working very hard with AFC and FIFA to continue our work in creating a sound foundation to allow growth and progression. Coach and player development are key priorities for us.
National Team attend a training camp in Doha Qatar
The Bangladesh national team flew to Doha Qatar for a training camp to prepare better for the upcoming Asian Games and SAFF Suzuki Championship.
The team took part in an intensive training programme and played 1 practice match.
National team off to S. Korea ahead of Asian Games
The Bangladesh national team flew to South Korea on July 28 for a training camp to prepare better for the
upcoming Asian Games.
The team will take part in intensive training sessions and play 3 practice matches in Korea.
After that, the team will be headed to Indonesia on August 11.
Bangladesh will compete against Thailand, Uzbekistan and Qatar in Group B of Asian Games football which commences on August 14.
I am very hopeful that the team will show a positive and confident performance in the Asian Games, followed by a convincing campaign at the upcoming SAFF Suzuki Championship at home.
Earlier in July, the national team also went to Qatar for another intensive training session leading up to the
Asian Games and SAFF football championship.
A total of 28 footballers were selected for the camp.
The team underwent warm-up sessions, physical training, theoretical training, match practice etc. during the two-week training camp from July 7 to 20.
The team also played a friendly match against local team Mesaimeer Football Club drawing 1-1.
National team head coach Jamie Day termed the practice match as a good opportunity to assess the players.
Jamie Day, along with assistant coach Stuart Watkiss and fitness coach Paul Davis are now working on feedbacks from the match and the camp to work on improving the team mentally, tactically and physically.
Rigorous training continues at Women’s Residency Camp
Footballers under the Elite Women’s Residency Camp are going through a rigorous training regime ahead of
three upcoming tournaments.
The U15 team will compete at the SAFF Championship in Bhutan in August.
Then in September, Bangladesh will host the Group A qualifiers of the AFC U16 Women’s Championship 2019.
Bangladesh U18 women’s team will then play in the SAFF Championship and then the U19s will then fly to Tajikistan in October to compete in Group D of the AFC Championship qualifiers.
Ahead of these four significant tournaments the Women have the Olympics and Senior Women National Team SAFF Championship towards the end of the year. What a comprehensive and exciting International Games programme. More than 40 footballers of the Elite Women’s Residency Camp are training day and night under direct supervision of Golam Rabbani Choton and the National Technical and Strategic Director
Paul Thomas Smalley.
Sixth BFF AFC ‘C’ coaching course completed
The sixth edition of the BFF AFC ‘C’ Certificate Coaching course was completed successfully in July.
The 14-day course began on July 3 and concluded on July 16.
The student coaches learned game tactics, practical game situations solved problems and found solution related to game scenarios and delivered a range of practical coaching sessions.
The sixth edition saw 24 student coaches including 2 foreigners taking part in the course.
Many of the student coaches were former professional players themselves which shows how the coaching courses arranged by the BFF are encouraging footballers to remain involved in the game and shape the players of tomorrow.
BPL transfer window now open
The Bangladesh Premier League transfer window opened on July 25 ahead of the upcoming season of the country’s top tier football.
A total of 13 clubs will be participating in the competition.
The player appointments for teams in the Bangladesh Premier League 2018 games began on July 25 and will continue till August 30.
Additionally, the process of hiring foreign players will go on from July 25 to October 15.
Bangladesh Premier League 2018 will commence on November 23, 2018 and continue till the last week of May 2019.
Meanwhile, the Federation Cup 2018 will begin on October 20, 2018.
SAFF U15, U18 Women’s Championship draw held
The official draw ceremony of the upcoming SAFF U15 Women’s Championship 2018 and the SAFF U18 Women’s Championship 2018 were held at the BFF House on July 7.
Bangladesh girls will face Nepal, Pakistan in the U15 tournament while Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan are their opponents in the U18 championship.
Players selected for U15 team after open trial
The BFF has selected 34 players for under-15 age group after a lengthy talent selection programme in the
Districts.
The selection was made in a bid to form the U15 national team to compete in the upcoming SAFF U15 Championship and to formulate plan for the future.
The trial was announced in all the districts to ensure full participation from the grassroots part of the game.
BFF coaches and officials were at hand during the trials to pick out the best young talents.
The final selection round was held on July 20 where 34 players were selected for the training camp ahead of SAFF U15 Championship 2018.
The SAFF U15 Championship will be held from October 27 to November 3 in Nepal.
District football leagues commence
District Football Associations have kicked off their football leagues under supervision of the Bangladesh Football Federation.
The leagues began with the opening ceremony of the Magura District Football League on July 13.
As of now, the district football leagues are in full swing including in Dhaka, Magura, Faridpur, Feni etc.
This is a part of BFF’s elaborate football development plan to strengthen district football in a bid to bring out future talents from the grassroots.
1st class referee promotion exam from August 29-31
The first class referee promotion test for registered second class referees will be held from August 29 to 31 in
Dhaka.
Aspirants have to apply within August 10.
Details of the exam can be found on the BFF website and at the BFF House.
Divisional Referee Refresher Course to begin October 20
The Divisional Referee Refresher Course is scheduled to begin on October 20 in Dhaka.
In the first phase, 32 referees from 16 districts of Dhaka will take part in the course from October 20 to 25.
The BFF will accept applications of only two referees (male/female) under the age of 25 from each district for the course.
Details of the exam can be found on the BFF website and at the BFF House.
