The much awaited renovation work of the Bangladesh Football Federation’s football academy at the Sylhet BKSP has started three days ago though the allocated fund seems too small to fulfill all the requirements.
The government has allocated a fund of Tk18.2m for the renovation works that will turn the BKSP infrastructure into a full-fledged football academy. However, with the allocated money is enough to complete the football pitch, the trainee’s hostel and the administrative building, but other requirements such as a much needed gymnasium, a swimming pool and the accommodation facilities for the foreign coaches will not be see any improvement.
However, BFF vice-president Badal Roy was expressing happiness over the development at his office yesterday. “At least the work has begun and we hope that within the next two months the job will be finished, so then we can start the football academy. Then we will gradually take the next step to fulfill the remaining requirements,” said Badal.
Badal said requirements like swimming pool and the gymnasium are necessary, but BFF has no way apart from going slow.
“We have limited resources and we will have to use it in a planned way. So we must use it as per priority, with the football field, hostel and the administrative building we will be able to start the academy,” he added.
The accommodation of Rene Koster, the Dutch assistant national coach who will also be in the charge of the academy, also remained as a major headache for the BFF. “At the moment the only option is to keep him at a resort nearby the academy. We will have to sort it out later,” revealed Badal.
Badal said the there will be four age-groups - 10, 12, 14 and 16 - in the football academy and they will hold two trials for each age level every year to keep the process rotating. He also expressed apprehension on how BFF will accommodate all the expenditures of the academy.
BFF with the assistance of a Fifa selection panel led by its technical director Jean-Michel Benezet selected 37 under-14 players to start federation’s football academy.
The 37 players will be given football training for at least two years under the supervision of a team of highly qualified coaching staff. Off the 37 players, 17 were chosen by the Fifa selection panel from the final phase of a four-stage countrywide selection process.
