Dhaka, March 8: The Bangladesh Football Federation marked the International Women’s Day with a festival of its own. The federation’s pride and joy, the U16 girls team played among themselves in three matches — four, six and eight-a-side.

This year’s theme, ‘Be bold for change’, could not have been more apt for a group of girls who come mostly from far flung villages around Bangladesh.

They have had little choice but be bold through most of the years that they played in the districts till being picked up for the national camp.

Tangail’s Krishna Rani Sarkar who captains the youth team and has also made herself indispensable for the national women’s team, said it had been her youngest uncle who pushed her and told her to be bold.

“He kept telling me, you must keep playing no matter what people say,” Krishna said. She remembers her youngest uncle with much warmth.

A goldsmith by profession, her uncle was the one who had encouraged the U16 captain to be bold, she says.

Sirat Jahan Shopna and Mishrat Jahan Moushumi, both hailing from Rangpur, said it had been their school teachers and the school management committee that had given them the strength.

Both star players of the U16 girls’ team, which provides the core strength of the national women’s team, Shopna and Moushumi have had to face obstacles from different quarters including family members and neighbours.

About six years ago, Shopna’s career as a footballer would have fallen flat had it not been for her coach at school. “They would not let me play and I was not allowed to go out for some days.”

The coach came by their house after that and spoke to Shopna’s family. “She will do something, she will shine, you will see,” he kept saying to my guardians.

Eventually Shopna’s family agreed.

Besides Shopna and Moushumi, there are three other players at the camp who have been together since their fourth grade. It had been an uphill struggle for the first few years for all of them till the BFF held a divisional championship at the age level in 2013 which made it relatively easy.

And ever since the camp began, it has been much different. And the difference is quite visible in the form of better performance and improved skills.