Rangatungi Football Academy girls 'want to play without fear’

Thakurgaon's Rangatungi United Female Football Academy -- an institution that has produced several national-level players -- is now facing uncertainty, as a section of locals is attempting to halt its activities citing religious objections.

Established in 2014, the academy is located in Rangatungi village, about three kilometres from the Ranishankoil upazila headquarters.

Local children of different ages regularly train on the academy's playground, which takes up a part of an approximately 25-bigha (15.625-acre) piece of government khas land.

Outside the field, portions on the south-eastern and south-western corners are used by locals as a graveyard.

When talking to the academy's female members on Saturday afternoon, they said that over a decade after the academy was founded, a group of locals is now claiming it is inappropriate for girls to play football near a graveyard and is trying to stop its activities.

Among them, Joya Kisku, 15, said about two weeks ago a group of locals dug up parts of the ground and tried to uproot the goalposts to stop football practice.

"Nowadays, we are practicing in fear, worried that they may attack again," she said.

Academy sources also added that the group demolished the foundation stone laid by the deputy commissioner for the construction of a boundary wall to separate the graveyard from the playground.

Appealing to the authorities, Joya added, "Give us a playground, and we will deliver good football."

Suborna, 14, another member of the academy, said, "We want to play without fear. For this, we seek security from the local administration."

Tajul Islam, founder and director of the academy and a retired teacher of Ranishankoil Degree College, said that 18 girls from the academy have gone on to play for the Bangladesh women's football team and various other national age-level sides.

Currently, academy students Mosammat Sagorika, Swapna Rani, and Kohati Kisku are in the Bangladesh national women's football team squad, while Reshmi Akter, and Protima Rani are part of the Under-17 team.

Former national players Sohagi Kisku and Anjana Rani also began their football careers at the academy, he added.

Responding to a query, Tajul said that in order for the academy to carry on with its activities and provide rural girls with opportunities to develop their talents, the concerned authorities could allocate around 7-8 bighas (4.4-5 acres) of land exclusively to the academy to resolve the crisis.

Acknowledging the incident at the academy, Officer-in-Charge of Ranishankoil Police Station Arshedul Haque said a tense situation had arisen among locals in the village over the graveyard and playground. "The situation is being closely monitored to prevent any untoward incidents," he added.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khadiza Begum said, "We will discuss the matter with the local residents and the academy authorities to find a way out of the situation."