A long-awaited Bangladesh Football Federation technical centre is set to be built in Rashidnagar of Ramu, Cox’s Bazar, with funding from FIFA.
The government has allocated 15.20 acres of land for the project at a nominal price of Tk 1,01,000. This initiative is expected to remove a major obstacle to establishing a modern football training facility in the country.
The land will initially be leased to the BFF for 30 years, as FIFA funding requires the federation to have long-term ownership or possession of the project site. The lease can later be extended for up to 99 years.
According to a BFF press release, the land will be formally handed over to the federation on Monday. A handover ceremony will be held at Hotel Long Beach in Cox’s Bazar at noon, attended by BFF president Tabith Awal, the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner and members of the federation’s executive committee.
They will later visit the site at Rashidnagar at 2:00pm.
BFF vice-president Wahiduddin Chowdhury told the media that the government had allocated the land at a nominal price as a special consideration. He said Tk 1,01,000 has already been paid.
The BFF will begin work on the construction and implementation plan after receiving the land.
The federation initially planned to build the technical centre in Cox’s Bazar about four years ago, during the tenure of its former president, Kazi Salahuddin. At the time, 20 acres of land were allocated in Khuniyapalong of Ramu.
The plan, however, faced objections from environmental organisations as the site was in a reserved forest area, leaving the project stalled for years.
In September 2024, the interim government cancelled the earlier allocation and instructed the authorities to find an alternative site.
The new allocation in Rashidnagar is expected to resolve the land-related complications. Under FIFA requirements, the BFF will lease the land long-term, allowing the federation to proceed with the next stages of the project.
According to the plan, the technical centre will have three international-standard football pitches, two four-storey dormitories for players and coaches, a gymnasium, swimming pool, medical and rehabilitation facilities, a canteen and conference rooms.
Local football officials and sports organisers welcomed the initiative, saying the facility would provide better training opportunities for emerging players from Cox’s Bazar and other parts of the country.
Cox’s Bazar District Sports Officer Md Alauddin said young and promising footballers would be able to receive structured training at the centre, covering both the theoretical and practical aspects of the game.
He said such a technical centre was important for developing skilled footballers and hoped the facility would help produce players capable of representing Bangladesh at international level.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: Courtesy
