U-17s girls look to follow seniors' footsteps

Bangladesh U-17 women's football team are looking to continue the recent success of senior teams in the SAFF U-17 Women's Championship, which begins in Bhutan on August 20.

In order to acclimatise with the conditions in the Himalayan nation, a 30-member contingent will leave for Thimphu on Friday morning under the guidance of Mahbubur Rahman Litu as head coach Peter Butler was given rest due to his workload in recent past.

The four participating teams -- Bangladesh, India, Bhutan and Nepal -- will face each other twice in the 12-day tournament and the team to top the table will be crowned champions. Bangladesh will begin their campaign against Bhutan on the opening day.

Bangladesh had finished behind champions Russia, the lone invitee in the competition's history, in the 2023 SAFF U-17 Women's Championship in Dhaka and emerged champions in the 2024 SAFF U-16 Women's Championship in Nepal.

"Butler gave us some guidelines to follow and the girls will play the same style that the senior women's teams follow," Litu, who works as an assistant coach, said at a press briefing on Thursday.

"I think the girls will not disappoint and we are optimistic with this group to produce good results," added Litu.

Captain Arpita Biswas informed that they have a good mixture of experience and youth, with five senior players alongside some fresh players.

"As the senior team and the U-20 team are doing well at international level, we also want to keep the success going in this championship," said Arpita, who had led Bangladesh to the 2024 SAFF U-16 Women's Championship title last year.