The first batch students of country’s first ever football academy left Dhaka for Sylhet on Monday with a lot of expectations and emotions in their minds.
The academy will begin on November 13, several years after the BFF conceived the idea.
Parents and guardians bade budding footballers a bye on Monday at the BFF premises with tears of joy in their eyes.
The Under-13 and Under-17 players also could not help their tears but left the BFF premises finally in a luxurious coach with mixed feelings.
‘It really saddens me when I see my mother crying but when I think that I will go there to become a quality footballer, I feel really happy,’ said 13-year old Sakib Khandaker of Dhaka.
Sakib is the only son of Toma Khandaker, a housewife living in city’s Bashabo area. She was very emotional when it was time to say goodbye.
‘For the first time he [Sakib] is going to live outside of his home. I’m sad to say him goodbye. But I agreed to admit him to the academy for his passion for the game,’ said Toma.
Samsunnahar Dipu, mother of Abdur Rahman Safat, said that she wants to fulfill her late husband’s dream by sending her only son to the academy.
Safat’s father Nurul Islam of Narayangonj, who died three years ago, wanted see his son to become a football star, said Samsunnahar, a fashion designer by profession.
‘My husband always dreamt that his son would become a good footballer. So, I’m happy to send my son to the BFF Academy with a hope to see him back home after fulfilling his father’s dream,’ she added.
Minhazul Kamir Shadhin, a 13-year old right-winger from Jessore, son of corporal Fazlul Karim Babu, said that he wants to be a part of the national team one day by learning the fundamental things of football from the academy.
‘My father was a footballer in the Bangladesh Army and I love the game due to my father. I would like to show my worth there and want to become the best winger of the country,’ said a confident Shadhin, who earned the final spot from trial at the upazila level.
BFF picked 20 players from the age group of Under-13 by arranging trial programmes at upazila level.
Initially they selected 10 players from each upazila for the district phase. Then they picked five players from each district across the country and hosted a 5-day training session and prepared a short-list of 40 players.
Finally, the BFF selected 20 players.
In the Under-17 age group, BFF picked the 20 players from 300 players, who were selected from the last edition of Pioneer Football League.
‘It will be a continuous process as we will give them basic training for two months in the first stage and then we will begin the second phase after one week break,’ said BFF’s technical director BA Jubair Nipu, who will run the academy initially until BFF appoints a permanent coach.
-With New Age input
