Dhaka, 7 December: During this period Bangladesh saw international success in age group competitions due to our perseverance.

Another aspect of the previous phases of the development plan between 2008 and 2016 has been the renewed investment and availability of funds in football competitions.

The most famous footballer to have captained Bangladesh, Kazi Salahuddin has been at the helm of the federation since 2008 during which time he raised just over Tk 87 crore (about USD 11.3 million). His first tenure in 2008 had in fact begun with a sponsorship deal of Tk 8 crore, the biggest in the history of Bangladesh football.

BFF technical director Paul Smalley, keenly looking forward to take Bangladesh through the next phase of development, said, “Not only were there more funds for the development of the sport, but renewed interest and increase in participation numbers and a steady increase of players’ salaries as well.”

In 2007-08 when Phase 1 had just begun, the highest monthly pay of Bangladeshi footballers was Tk 55,000 and the lowest was Tk 4,167.

In the 2015-16 season the highest paid footballer took home Tk 5.5 lakh every month and lowest monthly salary had increased to Tk 25,000.

Moreover, as part of phases 1 and 2, Bangladesh has played more international matches in the last 8 years than in the 35 years of football history.

The BFF Artificial Turf and the Kamlapur Stadium Turf (BirShreshthoSipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium) were developed during those eight years of first and second phases. Bangladesh also won the AFC Development Award 2015 in the ‘aspiring category’.

Paul Smalley who will be helping launch the third phase of the development plan said, “We hope to emulate some of the best practices in Germany, Iceland, Japan, China and South Korea as well as those in the emerging countries like India and Nepal. At the same time, we will make sure we retain some of the Bangladesh identity and potential.”

Smalley said he was confident that these efforts would pay off in the near future. “The best of Bangladesh football is on the horizon.”