Dhaka: The U15 and U18 players, who were picked up through BFF Talent Hunt program this last year, have started their first residential camp at BFF Academy in Dhaka’s Beraid.
The camp has begun with a total of 60 newcomers at 10 am on Friday morning.
32 U15 and 28 U18 footballers hailing from across the country joined the camp to be trained under seven coaches.
The BFF has selected Altaf Ahmed, Md Minar, Rashed Ahmed Pappu, Mr Poulo, Nur Alam Rahel, Abul Hossen and Parvez Babu to train the new buds while BFF Technical & Strategic Director Paul Thomas Smalley will supervise the camp.
However, a foreign coach will join these local coaches soon.
Talking to media about the foreign coach, Paul Smalley said the authority has made a deal with a foreign coach. He may join the academy soon. Smalley also said that he had confidence in local coaches.
“We have confirmed contracts. It’s important to have foreign expertise to complement the local expertise. Some good coaches in Bangladesh… Coaches who have worked at the BFF over the past 2 or 3 years and been successful in competitions. What we want to do is to make sure that we recruit the best used developers from overseas. We are a family and we need to work together.”
Asked if he is satisfied with the accomodation facilities at the academy, Paul said, “‘Satisfied’ is probably not the word. My attitude is that things have got to be to the highest level, highest standards. It’s still a work in progress. There are things that need to be done in the accomodation block, on the surface here. We’ve got to deal with the climate change here in Bangladesh. So, you know, it’s an ongoing process, an ongoing development of what we want it to be. But I’m very very happy. I’m convinced that in the near future, things will be nearly perfect. Not perfect but nearly perfect.”
All the members of BFF Development Committee were present on the occasion.
