Jessore, June 21, 2025 : In just 14 years since its establishment, Jessore's Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy has become an integral part of the country's football world.
The academy began its journey on a small scale in 2011 with 30 young footballers from Jessore district, hoping to bring back the lost glory of domestic football.
The academy's campus is growing rapidly in Hamidpur village, surrounded by greenery and filled with bird song, 6 kilometers east of Jessore city. Three international standard fields have been built on 65 bighas of land. Work is underway to build a fourth field. There is a six-story multipurpose building of 60,000 square feet on the same site. Where 240 footballers can stay, eat, and have all the modern amenities including entertainment.
This academy was established in 2011 in the name of Shams-ul-Hudar, a sportsperson and sports organizer and a prominent businessman of Jessore. He worked for 56 years of his 70-year life for the development of sports in Jessore and above all in the country. Under his leadership, the Jessore District Sports Association was formed in 1950.
The very next year after its establishment, young footballers from different districts of Khulna division joined the academy. Currently, there are 150 players in the academy in three age categories: 10-12, 13-14 and 15-17. 60 of them live in the academy as residents.
The academy has three more coaches working under a head coach. There are 14 officers and employees. With their tireless efforts, the institution has started achieving enviable success since its establishment.
In the past years since its establishment, 16 players from Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy have participated in Senior National, Under-14, Under-15, Under-16, Under-18, Under-19 and Under-23 age-based tournaments held in Qatar, Thailand, India, Nepal, Malaysia and Myanmar.
In the past few years, four players from the academy have had the opportunity to participate in training camps held in England's Manchester United Club and Brazil and Argentina. And 23 footballers from here have played and are playing in the Bangladesh Premier League for Dhaka Abahani, Chittagong Abahani, Brothers Union, Police FC, Bashundhara Kings, BJMC, Dhaka Muktijoddha, Rahmatganj and Arambagh.
The academy's state-of-the-art facilities, spacious practice grounds, and serene rural environment prompted the U-19 national team to camp here from April 17-29. The 40-member team trained here under coach Golam Rabbi Choton. After that, they left for Arunachal Pradesh, India, to play in the U-19 SAFF Championship.
A four-month full-fledged camp for the U-17 national team is also scheduled to be held at the Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy in Jessore as a preparation for participating in an upcoming tournament in Korea.
This football academy in Jessore, which was established entirely on personal initiative, has become an integral part of the country's football world in a very short time. Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy's head coach Kazi Maruf said that prominent industrialist Md. Naser Shahriar Zahedi, vice-president and chairman of the development committee of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), had shown the dream. He is the founding chairman of this academy. Everything has happened according to his plan.
The head coach said, "From the chairman to the groundsmen, everyone has made significant contributions behind the academy's continued success. With everyone's contributions, new feathers of success are being added to the academy's name every year."
Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy's young footballer Md. Al Mahdi. Mahdi, a 16-year-old ninth-grade student, hails from Mahishbathan village in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur district. He was admitted to the academy last January. Getting an opportunity here feels like a dream to Mahdi. Mahdi said that earlier he used to coach at a football academy in Jamalpur. He played for the Mymensingh division team. He got admitted here after hearing about Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy from his elder brother.
Mahdi, who is happy to be a student of this academy, said, "Everything here, including accommodation, food, and practice, is of modern standards. The academy even takes responsibility for admission and education in local educational institutions."
Golam Rabbi Khan (18) from Bandar Madanganj, Narayanganj district, was admitted to the academy in 2019. He played in the Russian Festival Tournament. He also made a name for himself playing for Dhanmondi Club in the country.
Rabbi said, "The facilities here are of very high quality. The accommodation, food, and environment are all excellent. They give you a holiday every two months. You can talk to your parents on your mobile phone once a week."
Sheikh Shamsul Bari Shimul, the academy's director (administration), spoke about their current activities and dreams surrounding the institution. He said, "All our coaches here are licensed and of the best level. Students are under their supervision 24 hours a day."
He said, "A separate multi-purpose building and a separate field will soon be built in this academy for girls. Then even young female footballers will be able to enroll here."
He also expressed his dream of organizing age-based national and international tournaments like Gothia and Dana Cup at this academy in the near future.
In recognition of its success, Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy was selected as the organization of the year by the Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA), an organization of sports journalists, in April.
Every morning and afternoon, a group of teenagers sweat on the green field of Shams-ul-Huda Football Academy, the fragrance of struggle, dreams and possibilities is intertwined in that sweat. If such initiatives can be spread to every department and region of the country, perhaps the name 'Bangladesh' will also be spoken with pride on the world football map one day.
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