GPS for girls

Ahead of the second round of AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers in Myanmar this month, the women's football team has started using GPS (Global Positioning System) devices to get more date regarding their fitness and performance.

It is the first time that GPS devices are being used national team level in Bangladesh even though Arambagh KS and Saif Sporting Club have already been using performance-based GPS devices since last season.

Bangladesh under-16 women's team will play against China, Philippines and hosts Myanmar in Group A encounters, which will get underway on February 27. 

Under the scheme of the AFC President initiatives, Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) recently received 40 GPS devices after national team coach Jamie Day asked for the devices to measure players' movement, stamina, agility and other aspects during competitive matches and training sessions.

The game's local governing body received the devices earlier this month and the women's team have already started using those a few days ago. They used it during training sessions for two days and then used it during a 70-minute match on Sunday.

“We have used 25 devices during the practice match but we are yet to analysis the data we found during the training sessions and warm-up match. We will analyse the data either today [Monday] or tomorrow [Tuesday],” women's team coach Golam Rabbani Choton said.

BFF's technical and strategic director Paul Smalley informed that they would gradually use GPS devices for all age-group and senior national teams including women's teams.

“The BFF has 40 individual computerised pods, vests, belts and necessary software [to analysis data]. The system will be used across all the federations' international teams. At present the women and senior men's teams will share the system,” Smalley told The Daily Star. 

After the completion of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship Qualifiers, the national women's team will take part in SAFF Women's Championship in Nepal from March 12 to 22 while the men's senior team is scheduled to play a friendly match against Cambodia on March 9.