Eshan Maitra

Just over a decade ago, we could hardly think of any other sport than cricket in the national perspective. Though, football, badminton or volleyball was common sports among the youth. But never as popular as comparing to cricket. Moreover, it was even more uncommon to see girls into sports. It was not always that all girls liked Barbie over bat or ball. Our conservative culture, and few misguided restrictions discouraged them heavily to stay away from physically involved games. Fortunately, over the course of social learning and open-mindedness brought wider globalization perspective. We have become more secular, caring and less discriminative toward each other. Specially about gender diffrences. Hence, girls get more freedom and scopes to take part in anything else of the society. Though, most give weird looks when watching a girl getting into serious sport. But we are adapting, and the authorities are working on that as well. The Dhanmondi Women’s Club and the Abahani Women’s Sports Club have done a great job in recent years. They are making sports more popular among girls. They are encouraging more and more. Still, the initiatives are not enough. Girls should be encouraged and given the chances of joining into any other sports as well. Growing up in the Dhanmondi area, I have seen guys on the street with big sports bag or carrying cricket bats often. Now a day, I even see group girls in such practice outfit as well. Not to mention, how great our girl squad in the international cricket are doing. Despite of all possible obstacles you can think of, they made great achievements. They did something impossible that, most ever thought could happen. Heck, even I did not know much about having an international female cricket team. May be because, I am not so up to date with sports. Still, I bet every Bangaldeshi was surprised, and felt very proud of them. Got to say, go Bangladeshi girls, go!
On top of all these, the amazing news from the Asian Football Confederation Under 16 (AFC U-16) Women’s Championship Qualifiers game on 27 August. The Bangladesh football team of Under 16 girls put up an aggressive display at the Bangabandhu National Stadium against the team from Iran. Though, football is very much popular sport among the youth. It is kind of underrated in the national level, and poorly funded. Yet, some progresses have been made. Also, to say remarkably made possible for picking out the talents from the bunch in several organized occassions. Especially famous Kalsindhur School at Kalsindur, a remote village of Dhobaura upazila in Mymensingh district, has astound us all in recent years. This is a very recently developed village of our country near the border. They have been doing a great job in taking part in the Woman Empowerment campaign. Their certain group of girls showed remarkable skills in football under the guidance of the local teachers. Then, with the proper scope of the authorities, they were brought up to play in the international levels.
This AFC U-16 was not the first time they have proved their skills. The same girls in the AFC U-14 showed great future. Two years back, in the regional championship in Nepal, they won by 2-0 against Iran. Shockingly in the most dramatic of circumstances. These groups’ first international level achievement. Though the previous team in the last AFC U-16, lost against Iran by 1-2. But this time, the girls snatched their revenge leaving the everyone at awe with such big difference. These young female heroes of Bangladesh who scored the goals are Marzia, Mousumi Jahan and Tohura. These girls will carry the spirit torch of the sport field of Bangladesh and encourage the next generation of girls to compete into various sports at international levels furthermore.
It is a great thing that, the authorities noticed them and put them under special care. Even adult football teams of both men and women has a lot of things to learn from this young sport stars.
By the way, did I mention these little girls played in the full size football ground with full 90 minutes’ game! I sure feel bad that, I missed the chance to watch this game live. Well, even any other football games do not get much audiences. But things are changing, and now our sport stars need the public supports more than ever. As quote by the news reporter in the Daily Start, “Those who watched this particular game were amazed to see their ability to run at the same pace on a full-size ground for 90 minutes, their hunger to win back the ball, some individual skills like bending the ball, providing those defense-splitting passes, playing those one-twos with authority.
It may sound harsh but the kind of football they played with all the basic ingredients deeply rooted in every one of them, it can be even impress the senior most men’s team of our country.”