As the domestic football scene in Bangladesh gears up for the new season amidst an election atmosphere, the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) is set to address the ongoing venue crisis. The new season kicks off next Friday with the Challenge Cup, followed by the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) a week later. However, with only two weeks remaining, the venues for the clubs have yet to be finalised. The league committee plans to resolve this issue and allocate venues to the clubs on Saturday afternoon.
This season, 10 teams will compete in the BPL. The BFF league committee intends to assign each stadium to two clubs, necessitating at least five stadiums. Currently, BFF has officially secured the Bashundhara Kings Arena and Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh. While Munshiganj and Comilla District Stadiums have given verbal agreements to host the league, no official confirmation has been received.
BFF is optimistic about securing these two stadiums but remains concerned about finding a fifth venue. The federation is exploring options between Gazipur and Manikganj. Among the participating clubs, Bashundhara Kings is the only one with its own stadium. Many other clubs face challenges with distant stadiums and lack of training grounds. The Bashundhara Kings Arena will serve as the home ground for both Bashundhara Kings and Forties FC.
Traditional clubs Abahani Krira Chakra Limited and Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) are interested in making Comilla their home venue, but nothing has been finalised. MSC manager Imtiaz Ahmed Nakib highlighted the issue, stating, "No other club has a field except Kings."
Nakib explained that while clubs talk about having a home venue, the stadiums are actually owned by the National Sports Council (NSC) and supervised by the District Sports Organization. He urged the federation to mediate with the NSC to secure the use of these stadiums.
For the past three seasons, football has primarily been played outside Dhaka due to ongoing renovations at the Bangabandhu Stadium. Since 2008, district-level football has been managed by the Football Association, although the stadiums belong to the District Sports Association. BFF must negotiate with the district sports organizations to arrange the fields. Following the dissolution of all district sports organization committees on August 5, the federation is now negotiating with the NSC for district-level stadiums.
The Sylhet District Stadium, once a premier football venue after Bangabandhu Stadium, has not been used by BFF for the past two seasons. The cost of floodlights and electricity for organising matches in Sylhet was seven lakh taka, which was personally covered by Sylhet District Football Association president and BFF executive member Mohiuddin Ahmed Salim. During a recent executive meeting, Salim raised the issue of the unpaid electricity bill. BFF president Kazi Salahuddin promised to either pay the amount himself or urged Salim to consider it a donation for the sake of football. Salim agreed to donate the seven lakh taka as suggested by the president.
