The Fortis BFF Academy for football is up and running at Dhaka’s Beraid.
The federation established the academy in order to make sure that the country’s football is on the right track with a bunch of skilled football talents in the pipeline.
The BFF has recently appointed three English coaches to train the country’s next generation footballers and prepare them for the modern game.
The BFF implemented a thorough plan to find out the talents from the grassroots, build proper infrastructure and hire top quality trainers to establish the academy.
BFF president Kazi Salahuddin along with the BFF Development Committee members worked hard to make the country’s football loving people’s dream come true.
The federation decided to establish the academy near Dhaka and agreed a deal with Fortis Group, one of the country’s renowned corporate groups, to provide land for the academy.
Responding to the BFF’s call, the business group provided around 40 bighas (13.22 acres) of land on Madani Avenue in Beraid near the capital’s Badda.
On one hand, the BFF managed all the infrastructural development there, on the other, the football authority organized two age-group talent hunt programmes to find out a number of young football talents who would be trained up in the academy.
In the talent hunt programmes, the BFF Technical Committee conducted a two-stage selection process throughout the country.
The District Football Associations along with BFF authorized trainers supervised the preliminary trials and selected potential players for the final selection process that took place in the capital’s Shahid Sipahi Md Mostafa Kamal Stadium in February.
After the final trials, a total of 60 football passionate teens (32 U15 and 28 U18 boys) joined the academy on April 5 to hone their skills to be the country’s football envoys to the international arena.
Initially, the authorities have appointed seven local coaches to train the new buds. Besides, BFF Technical and Strategic Director Paul Thomas Smalley was given the authority to supervise the residential camp there.
Now, the federation managed to appoint three renowned and well experienced British coaches to look after the potential football talents.
Andrew Peter Turner, who holds the UEFA A Licence football coaching certificate, has been appointed as the Lead Academy Coach.
The Englishman spent 13 years in his country’s Premier League (EPL). It is said that the former Tottenham and Crystal Palace star’s best part is his great ability to motivate the youngsters in an impressive manner.
Robert Marin Ryles, who has been employed as the National Youth Coach, played for English age group teams and clubs including Everton and Stoke City.
Ryles has experience of working with several famous coaches and managers including Walter Smith, David Moyes and players including English superstar Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling.
The third coach the BFF has appointed recently is Robert Andrew Mimms. He has been recruited as Goalkeeper Coach of the national team.
Apart from training the national team, Mimms will take care of the buds blooming in the academy.
The BFF signed a one-year contract with the coaches. However, the federation may give them more time if they can show the signs of their ability in bringing improvement to the youths.
Recently, the newly appointed coaches have met the reporters at the BFF house to inform media about their duties and the work plans with the uprising footballers.
The BFF had long been trying to get the academy up and running and it is finally a reality.
And the academy is ready to generate future football stars for the nation.
With new developments taking place everyday, the football lovers of the country can certainly dream again for bright future of Bangladesh football through the hands of Fortis BFF Academy.
