BRAC Bank’s Tk 99 lakh boost for women’s hockey

BRAC Bank has stepped forward with significant support for the country's fast-growing women's hockey scene by sponsoring the Brac Bank Oporajeyo Alo Women's Hockey Tournament.

The tournament is set to begin next month across four venues nationwide with the participation of 18 district teams.

BRAC Bank, one of Bangladesh's leading commercial banks, had earlier supported the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) in organising a women's development hockey tournament earlier this year.

This time, the bank has committed a substantial budget of Tk 99 lakh for the upcoming tournament. The 18 participating district women's teams will be split into four zones, competing in round-robin matches. The four zonal champions will join BKSP in the five-team final round scheduled for December in Dhaka.

"We sponsored a women's hockey tournament earlier this year, and following the success of that tournament, we wanted the Bangladesh Hockey Federation to share their plans regarding women's hockey for 2025 and 2026. Then we came forward to create the opportunity for women's hockey players," said BRAC Bank's Chief Communication Officer, Ekram Kabir, at a press conference held at the BHF conference room on Thursday.

"We believe a lot of women's hockey players will get the opportunity to play through this tournament. Thus, they will prepare themselves for the national women's hockey team in the future. We have taken the country's women's hockey as a project under our CSR guidelines, and we want to continue supporting the BHF to organize this tournament even in 2026 and 2027 in a bid to give it a proper shape," Kabir added, noting that the bank may also consider providing stipends to women's hockey players in the future for further grooming.

Expressing gratitude to BRAC Bank, BHF General Secretary Reazul Hasan said, "We are going to provide big incentives like gears, sticks, full kits, backpacks, carrying bags, and inner garments to all participating players that will inspire other girls to come into hockey. It has become possible because BRAC Bank came forward with big support for women's hockey."

Hasan also expressed optimism about the sport's future. "We are hopeful that we can take the country's women's hockey forward if BRAC Bank continues to provide us with this kind of support," he said.

He further added, "We have already asked the Bangladesh Olympic Association to make room for the women's hockey team to play the qualifying round of the upcoming Asian Games." Hasan noted that while no participation money will be provided to the teams, BHF will bear all transport, accommodation, and food expenses for the 18 participating teams.

The district teams include Joypurhat, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Thakurgaon, and Rangpur (Rajshahi zone, starting November 2); Narayanganj, Kishoreganj, Dhaka, Netrokona, and Mymensingh (Mymensingh zone, starting November 3); Chattogram, Cumilla, Cox's Bazar, and Sylhet (Cumilla zone, starting December 12); and Jashore, Narail, Jhenaidah, and Patuakhali (Jashore zone, starting December 8).