53 booters set for five-year training

53 promising footballers are set to get long-term training as Bangladesh District and Divisional Football Association (BDDFA) yesterday signed them for a five-year contract at a city hotel with the hope of producing brilliant players for top-flight football.

The BDDFA, an organisation of football associations from 64 districts and eight divisions, had hosted the Sheikh Kamal U-20 national football tournament last month with eight divisions after providing one-month training to some 240 players, who were chosen from upazila and district level.

The organisation has kept its promise by bringing the talented booters under the training programme by signing a tripartite agreement under which the players, BDDFA and district football associations will share money if any player receives professional contract from clubs.

10 players from Rajshahi division, nine each from Khulan division and Sylhet division, eight from Dhaka division, seven from Chattogram division, four each from Barisal division and Rangpur division and two from Mymensingh division were picked for the training programme. 

The training will get underway from July 1 in Chattogram and the players will get financial assistance of Tk 5000 per month as well as facilities to study in different schools in the port city.

“We involved all 64 districts in Sheikh Kamal U-20 tournament and then selected over 50 players for long-term training. We hope these players will show their talent on the pitch after receiving long-term training,” said BDDFA’s secretary general Tarafder Ruhul Amin after signing the contract with the players at a city hotel.

Ruhul Amin also informed that they would arrange for these players two matches against foreign teams and four matches against Bangladesh Premier League clubs within December.

“I can tell you that at least 30 players from this group are very promising, who have the quality to grow as professional footballers in near future,” opined former national footballer Imtiaz Sultan Jonny.  Former national players like Sheikh Mohammad Aslam and Hasanuzzaman Khan Bablu and organiser Siraj Uddin Mohammad Alamgir were, among others, present at the event.