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‘When I started coaching the women’s team in 2009, even my friends called me ‘women coach’ to tease me. But I always loved my work. And now it feels good that the girls have won the tournament.’
Bangladesh national women’s team head coach Golam Rabbani Choton revealed a part of his journey after his disciples made history by winning the country’s first-ever SAFF Women’s Championship title.
But Choton’s story unveiled a little important detail, that he was working with the women’s team for around 13 years.
This SAFF Championship crown did not come in a day. The tale was written with blood and sweat for almost a decade, with a proper procedure followed for years.
In the 10 years leading to the South Asian crown, Bangladesh won nine titles in age-level women’s football. They won the AFC Under-14 Girls’ Regional (South and Central) Championship twice- in 2015 and 2016, along with a hat-trick SAFF U-15 Women’s Championship title wins ranging from 2015 to 2017.
In 2018, they won the Jockey CGI Under-15 Youth Tournament before winning the SAFF U-18 Women’s Championship in the same year. They were joint Champions of the Bangamata U19 International Football in 2019 and then the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship in 2021, beating India.
But it all started almost 10 years back. Bangladesh Football Federation’s women’s wing Chairperson, Mahfuza Akter Kiron, reminisced the struggles to reach the crowning ceremony.
“I cannot express my emotions with words. This was expected. We have been working for a long time. We moved forward step by step. This did not happen overnight. We started our camp with girls in 2012, and from there on, we moved one step at a time. And we knew at that time that good results would arrive in time,” she said.
Last year, Kiron explained how they explained their scouting process to The Business Post.
“We started scouting in 2012. The players that won the tournament today (SAFF U19 Women’s Championship), Maria (Manda), Monika (Chakma), and Tohura (Khatun) were all brought in through scouting in 2012. Then we started a residential camp for them, where they continuously trained, and that is what brought this result,” the BFF official explained.
Monika Chakma and Maria Manda, Bangladesh’s ever-lasting engines in the middle of the pitch throughout the SAFF Championship, were the results of the process of working with the age-level teams with proper plans.
“I have always said that our age-level teams are doing well, so in future, our national team will become stronger and do well. And this is what happened here. The girls played with dominance and courage,” Kiron said.
After the final, she also addressed the sacrifice the girls have made.
“The girls have been training in five or six sessions a day, from 5 in the morning to 7/8 in the evening. They are leading a disciplined life. And thus, they have become successful,” Kiron added.
Darkness under the lamp
While the BFF’s effort to follow a clear pathway for women’s football is commendable, there are still big lumps of darkness around women’s football.
Bangladesh skipper Sabina Khatun, at one point, had been working as an assistant coach for the age-level sides despite being a national team player. Many female booters have left the game in search of financial stability.
According to BFF’s salary structure, implemented in 2018, 36 women footballers were paid monthly in three categories. Category A players had a salary of Tk 10,000, category B players had a salary of Tk 8,000, and category C players had a salary of Tk 6,000. Later, all the players were given an increment of Tk 2,000.
BFF President Kazi Salahuddin side-stepped the questions regarding the salaries of the female booters but said they carried all the expenses of the women’s footballers.
“We are looking after the girls with the money we get from the sponsors. We carry all of their expenses- food, education, healthcare, etc. If we get more money from the sponsors, then their stipend and other perks will improve too,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday.
Even in club football, where male players often earn more than Tk 50 lacs a season, the payment for girls revolves around Tk 3-5 lacs.
Salahuddin said that they were talking with the government about a budget. And if it was approved, he would ensure the rise of the girls.
“We have created a roadmap for them even before the tournament. I have already asked the government for the budget to regularly play in the FIFA windows. I have been assured that we will get it. Once we get the budget, we will provide the calendar of when we will play in which country,” he said.
For the girls in red and green, the sky is the limit. They have been backed for now, but now that they eye even bigger prizes, the backing must also get bigger and better.
