Beach Football Tournament \\\'14 & prospect of Beach Games in Bangladesh

The 3rd Beach Football Tournament 2014 concluded successfully in Cox's Bazar recently. Local motorbike manufacturer Runner Group was the Title sponsor. The electronic media Channel i pioneered the tournament as one of the organizers. The two-day tournament was held at the Laboni point of Kolatoly, Cox's Bazar under the title 3rd Runner Channel i Beach Football Tournament, 2014. This popular private TV channel in association with the local Beach Football Organization WAFF (We Are For Football) organized the event. WAFF was created some years back under the Presidentship of Mobassher Hossain, a sports organizer, environmental activist and architect of global reputation who headed the Commonwealth Council of Architects and South Asian Council of Architects. He along with his devoted colleagues in WAFF, to name a few, Kamal Ahmed, Aminul Islam Raju (both are from Channel i) and Shafiqur Rahman Manik, Secretary of WAFF and Nuruzzaman, Manager WAFF organized the tournament with Channel i and local football organizers.

The tournament was sponsored by AB Bank, Green Delta Insurance Co Ltd, Nitol Tata, Summit Group, Prime Bank, Berger Paints and Orion. Singer, Tropical Homes Ltd, Premier Bank, Pran, Orient Bread, Blazer BD, Amin Mohammed Group, Universal Food Ltd and Rosh co-sponsored the event. Hospitality partners were Seagull Hotel, Hotel Cox City Today and Ocean Paradise. Drinking partner was Ifad. Running commentary of all matches was broadcasted by Radio Bhumi. Ex-booter of our national team and a member of Bangladesh Football Federation Satyajit Das Rupu represented the National Football Governing Body as the Chair of the Tournament Committee of the 3rd edition of Beach Football while Robin Khan of Channel i played the role of Project Co-coordinator. In all six teams namely WAFF Masters, Muktiyuddha Masters, Mohammedan Masters, Abahani Masters, Team BJMC and the hosts Chittagong Masters Cox City captained by BFF EC Member Bijon Barua featured in the tournament. Each team was comprised of ten players all of whom were drawn from the ex-footballers of our national teams at different times during their football careers. In the final match held on 27th April evening Chittagong Masters Cox City became champions and Muktiyuddha Masters were runners-up. The event was opened on 26th April morning by Local MP Sarwar Kamal Saimon. He was also present at the presentation ceremony.

Though newly started in Bangladesh, Beach Football or Soccer, a variation of conventional Association Football, had been in practice and competition in different areas of the world since long. An organization named Beach Soccer World Wide framed regulations for the game and piloted it in 1992 in Los Angeles. In partnership with the said organization the first ever professional competition of the game was held at the Miami Beach the following year featuring Argentina, Brazil, Italy and USA. It easily attracted TV networks which, for the first time in 1994 transmitted the game held in Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. The Beach Soccer World Championship took place in 1995 in the same city and the host Brazil became champion. The growing interest of the media and sports sponsors culminated in the 1996 Pro Beach Soccer Tour, 1996 which included as many as 60 games within two years in Asia, Europe, South America and USA. The introduction of European Pro Beach Soccer League in 1998 was a direct impact of the tour.

The popularity, commercial and media interest in Beach Soccer prompted FIFA to come forward to regulate, supervise and control the Game as the World Governing Body of Football. In 2008 FIFA recognized Beach Football as its Official Tournament, renamed it as FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and since 2009 it is organized biennially. The latest edition was organized in 2013 in which Russia became champion.

Side by side, multi-sports Beach Games are being organized with the recognition of the International Olympic Committee. The Olympic Committee of Asia also started organizing Asian Beach Games since 2008 when the inaugural edition took place in Bali, Indonesia. It is a two-yearly competition. The 2nd edition of ABG was staged in Muscat in 2010 where Bangladesh also participated. Both Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines are included in these Games. The sports included in Beach Games are again classed as elite sports and recreational or leisure sports. South Asian edition of Beach Games are also being organized, the first edition of which was staged in Sri Lanka.

Geographically Bangladesh is blessed with the world's largest natural sea beach stretching from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf which is around 120 km long. The beach is sandy and without pebbles and seashells which is ideal for Beach Games. The growing popularity of Beach Football held in Cox's Bazar for the last 3 years can be replicated in other sports and games. It may be noted that Beach Football is played in a pitch that is smaller in size than that of Association Football. Number of players are 10 in each team. Of them only 5 are fielded including the goal keeper. The players play barefooted. Same is the case with the match officials. Only anklet is permissible. The regulation time of a match is 36 minutes divided into 3 quarters of 12 minutes, each quarter with two minutes recess. The teams get the chance to defend the goal of their choice with toss held in first and third quarter. It is less expensive. On the same pitch of sand more than one discipline can be played separately even if a permanent stadium is constructed for a particular discipline.

The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh represented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, National Sports Council, Bangladesh Football Federation, other National Sports Federations and lastly Bangladesh Olympic Association should come forward to establish a Beach Games Complex in Cox's Bazar. And thereby make a vigorous endeavour to turn a chunk of this beautiful beach into an international venue of Beach Football and Beach Games. BOA should bid for a future edition of South Asian Beach Games without delay.

One of the co-partners of the 3rd Beach Football Games, Channel i successfully presented the venue to the world audience through telecasting the whole event live using drone camera for the first time in Bangladesh and presenting live one of its popular early morning programmes on music from the venue during the tournament. Eminent TV personality, Director and Chief of News Shykh Seraj supervised the coverage all through and Channel i Managing Director Faridur Reza Sagor accompanied with his spouse watched the final, presented the trophy and entertained the players with gifts. Braving the sweltering heat the spectators supported the tournament immensely. Given the sponsors support it can be assumed that there will be no dearth of sponsorship for Beach Football and Beach Games in Bangladesh. Among the sponsors' representatives present during the tournament, the scribe of this piece is privileged to say that Green Delta, the largest insurance company of Bangladesh in private sector, founded by internationally renowned insurance personality Nasir Ahmed Chowdhury, is passionate to the development of sports in the country. Driven by this passion he has been extending cordial financial support to sports events since the establishment of the company in the mid-eighties. The incumbent Managing Director and CEO of the company Ms Farzana Chowdhury is also following the track record of her father as far as a sports sponsorship is concerned. Ex Addl MD and Consultant A S A Muiz, as an ex-athlete and sports organizer, is also interested in this matter. The same gesture may be expected from other sponsors of the tournament in the development of these games in Bangladesh.

Now it is the turn of the organizers, the respective sports organizations, the Government and the National Olympic Committee to explore and utilize the vast potentiality of our unbroken sandy beach as an ideal venue for Beach Games including Beach Football, Volleyball, etc.

This piece is dedicated to the sacred memory of late Abdul Hamid, the renowned athlete, sports organizer, writer and pioneer of sports commentary who played a front ranking role for Beach Football in Bangladesh.