Aminul Haque, widely regarded as one of the country’s finest goalkeepers, is now aiming to reshape Bangladesh’s sports landscape with a focus on grassroots development rather than infrastructure-heavy projects, reports Daily Sun.
Now 45, Aminul made his debut for a top-tier side, Mohammedan Sporting Club, at just 15. In club football, he also represented Dhaka Abahani Limited, Muktijoddha Sangsad Krira Chakra, Brothers Union and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. Among goalkeepers, he was the first to receive the highest single-season remuneration in domestic football.
Progressing through the age-group levels from Under-16, he served the national team for 12 consecutive years. Under his leadership, Bangladesh won gold in football at the South Asian Games.
Having taken oath as the State Minister for Youth and Sports in the BNP-led government on February 16, Aminul has set out to bring structural changes to the country’s sports sector. Just six days after assuming office, he met sports journalists to learn about the actual condition of sports in Bangladesh.
At a discussion held at the National Sports Council auditorium on Sunday under the slogan “Sports will be a profession, families will find security,” he listened to proposals from reporters on nurturing talent and ensuring financial security for athletes.
Aminul has stressed the need for a politics-free sports environment from upazila to district, division and central levels to revitalise grassroots sports. He is not in favour of spending funds on mini-stadium projects at upazilas, as done during the previous Awami League government.
Instead, he wants to make playgrounds accessible in every upazila. “The honourable Prime Minister (Tarique Rahman) has asked to focus on fields, not stadiums. District stadiums themselves cannot be maintained properly. In that case, I cannot understand how the mini-stadiums in upazilas will be cared for. I want to focus on players, rather than stadiums and galleries. I will request the District Commissioners to make the empty fields of every district and upazila suitable for playing,” he said.
The State Minister is also considering appointing sports officers in vacant district posts and gradually recruiting such officers in 495 upazilas to increase athlete production. In recruitment, he prefers giving priority to former athletes rather than relying solely on BPEd certificates from physical education colleges. He also supports issuing a directive through the Education Ministry to open school playgrounds for afternoon practice after classes.
He has discussed with the Education Ministry the importance of emphasising sports from grade four onward. Seeking media opinion on selecting five priority sports, journalists proposed retaining football and cricket as mandatory while choosing three more from hockey, athletics, kabaddi, archery, karate, taekwondo and handball.
Aminul also shared plans to build indoor facilities without galleries in all 64 districts. To address the shortage of playgrounds in the capital, he proposed preparing at least one field for every two wards and creating walkways for public use.
Noting that only football and cricket — particularly Dhaka-based cricket — offer professional prospects, he said sports must be established as a viable profession so athletes and their families can become self-reliant. He added that athletes with special needs would also be brought under this framework.
The BNP-led government is also planning to make each sports federation financially self-sufficient. In this regard, Aminul intends to engage sponsor organisations and leading corporate houses.
However, during the two-and-a-half-hour discussion, he did not comment on the future of the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He also did not announce any immediate plan to dissolve the ad-hoc committees formed in district and divisional sports associations and federations during the interim government’s tenure and hold elections.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
