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Published : 25 Apr 2025, 11:44 PM
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) President Tabith Awal has spoken of a fresh “wave” of interest in football across Bangladesh, citing strong responses from grassroots academies under the federation’s youth development programme.
Speaking at a registration and certificate handover event in Rajshahi on Friday, he discussed recent developments in domestic football and said the country was witnessing a “surge” in participation.
“We’re getting a good response. We aimed to develop football at the grassroots so everyone at that level gets to play,” Tabith said. “Through these academies, we want to provide technical knowledge and identify talented players.”
He added, “We’re also seeing progress in setting up structured training for junior players. Many academies have come forward across the country.
“That shows a wave of football is spreading nationwide.”
The event in Rajshahi recognised academies that met BFF standards under its official scheme. Certificates were awarded to qualifying institutions.
The BFF launched its academy registration drive in 2020 in line with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) guidelines through its technical committee.
That year, 78 academies were registered.
According to BFF records, a further 40 were added in 2021, followed by 25 in 2022, 35 in 2023, and another 110 as of Apr 1, 2025.
In total, 268 “One-Star” and 17 “Two-Star” academies are now officially registered with the federation.
Registered academies also took part in the BFF Academy Championship 2023–24, which was held across 24 venues with FIFA funding.
Around 4,800 young footballers participated in the tournament. From there, 35 standout players were selected for the BFF Elite Academy.
In addition, between 2020 and 2024, grassroots coaching courses were organised across eight divisions, resulting in 550 certified coaches from BFF-registered academies.
