BHF wants to focus on domestic front

Having hosted three international tournaments -- Hockey World League Round-2, Under-18 Asia Cup and Men's Asia Cup this year, the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) is now mulling to transfer attention to top-tier domestic competitions.

Even though the BHF held the national hockey championship and youth national championship this year, but it totally ignored top-tier club competitions such as the cub cup and the premier division league which are the source of bread and butter for the hockey players.

Due to the irregularity of club competitions, most of the national team players previously joined different services teams, but the rest of the players are in dire straits as regards to earning a living. The premier league was last held one-and-a-half year ago following players' transfers in February, 2016.   

There was demand from the players to complete this season's transfers before the start of the Asia Cup, but most of the premier league clubs did not respond to the players' demands. The clubs, however, agreed in principle to take part in the transfers after the completion of the Asia Cup, which ended on October 22.

The BHF has already called a meeting with the premier league clubs on November 7 to discuss the issue with an eye on holding the club cup next month. However, things are a bit complicated as some of the organisers want to be sure about the fate of the BHF polls, which were postponed on August 17 due to the country's flood situation.    

“If we continue to hold international tournaments one after another, then it will not be possible to develop domestic hockey,” BHF general secretary Abdus Sadeque said. “We have called all premier league clubs for a meeting on Tuesday to for their views on domestic competitions.”

“Our intention is to start the club cup in December after completing the players' transfer this month and begin the premier league in January, keeping February for preparation of the national team for March's Asian Games Qualifiers,” Sadeque said. “But everything depends on the view of the clubs and I am optimistic if four big clubs – Abahani, Mohammedan SC, Dhaka Mariner Youngs and Usha KC – agree to participate in transfers, then it will be possible to complete the league before February next year.”

The former national player informed that the BHF president met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently to talk about the current situation of the federation and that the BHF president would take care of clubs' participation in the players' transfers.

However, vice president Abdur Rashid Shikdar questioned the fate of the postponed BHF polls in which he was a general secretary candidate.

“First I want to know whether the BHF polls will be held,” Shikdar said. “If every federation including the Bangladesh Cricket Board can hold the polls, then why not BHF? If there is no elected committee at BHF, the real organisers will disappear gradually.”

Veteran organiser Abdus Sadeque, however, has made a new proposal to appoint a paid general secretary to keep all the aspirants away in a bid to take hockey forward.

“Over the last 10 years there was conflict among the organisers over the general secretary post. Such differences among the organisers have only taken the game backward. So I have proposed the BHF president to appoint a paid general secretary through proper initiatives,” said Sadeque.