The dream of becoming a footballer has not been fulfilled, Zaman of Pirojpur is teaching football to 60 children
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When the whole world is in the frenzy of World Cup football, a young coach is trying day and night to fulfill the dream of a group of children and teenagers in Pirojpur to become footballers. Although his dream of becoming a player is not fulfilled, Zaman Islam (24) is working to create a new generation of footballers.
Zaman, a fourth-year graduate of Pirojpur Government Suhrawardy College, has been fond of football since childhood. Dreaming of becoming a player, he practiced regularly. But an unexpected accident happened in 2019. He injured his leg while playing a match, then had a mental breakdown and walked away from the field.
বিজ্ঞাপন
In this context, Zaman said, ‘After the injury, I felt that all my dreams were over. Later, while playing with the small children of the area, I realized that even if I could not play myself, I could teach them something. It starts from there.
From this thought, on February 10, 2023, Zaman Islam’s football training journey began with only two children in a sand field adjacent to the old bus stand in Pirojpur city. The initiative that started on a small scale has now become well known. At present around 60 children and teenagers are taking regular football training under him.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Zaman Islam started the training program at Pirojpur government school ground every afternoon at 5 pm. About 20 students undergo training in each batch. Once admitted, they get the opportunity to train for a long time without any fixed period. 100 taka per month is taken from each student for conducting this program. Zaman Islam claims that most of that money is spent on students. As a result, he is teaching them football almost for free.
Recently, five students trained by Zaman participated in the football tournament of ‘New Bud Sports’, a popular talent development program for children and teenagers. He has three students in the team that won the championship at the upazila level. Despite the limited facilities, this success has garnered praise from the local sports community.
Student Sinjim Mahmud has been training with Zaman Islam for four months. He says, ‘I have learned a lot by coming here. I used to just play, now I practice according to the rules. I want to play in a big competition in the future.
Many other children like Sinjim, a class VI student of Pirojpur Government High School, come to the field every day with the dream of becoming a footballer. Someone’s dream is to play in the national team, someone’s dream is to represent the country in the international arena.
But despite these achievements there are limitations. Zaman’s organization has no official registration. As a result, many obstacles have to be faced in conducting activities on a large scale and getting patronage. But he doesn’t want to stop. His dream is to one day establish a registered football academy and provide modern training opportunities to the children and teenagers of Pirojpur.
Zaman Islam said, ‘Maybe I could not go far as a player. But if one of my students wears the national team jersey one day, that will be the biggest achievement of my life.
Several local residents said that a small initiative that started with two children has turned into a dream destination for 60 children today. This young coach is working to create future footballers in Pirojpur by making his unfulfilled dreams a reality.
Abdus Quddus Khan, physical education teacher of Pirojpur Government Girls’ School, said that it is very important to keep children and teenagers interested in sports these days. This initiative of Zaman deserves praise. The work he is doing with limited capacity is a positive initiative for sports in Pirojpur.
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