Prime Minister's Gold Cup Football set for September

 
Bangladesh is poised to launch one of its largest school football initiatives, with nearly 50,000 educational institutions set to participate in the inaugural Prime Minister's Gold Cup Football Tournament. 

The competition will bring together students from Classes VI to XII representing schools, colleges, madrasas, technical and vocational institutions across the country. Participation will be mandatory for boys, while girls' teams will compete on an optional basis. 

Prime Minister's Adviser on Education and Primary and Mass Education and Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson Mahdi Amin unveiled the programme at a press conference at the Secretariat on Monday, saying the tournament aims to nurture sporting talent alongside leadership, creativity and character-building among students. 

Drawing on the success of the Primary School Gold Cup, Amin said the new competition would follow a similar pyramid structure, beginning at the upazila level before progressing through district and divisional rounds to a national final. 

The government is targeting a start by 10 September, with the tournament scheduled to conclude by 30 October. A detailed fixture list will be announced shortly.

He expressed hope that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman would inaugurate the opening match and also attend the final, noting that the competition bears the Prime Minister's name in recognition of his direct patronage of the initiative. 

Amin said the tournament would be delivered through a coordinated effort involving the Ministries of Education, Youth and Sports, and Cultural Affairs, alongside local administrations, education boards and the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education. He also called on the media to shine the spotlight on emerging young footballers, believing that greater recognition would inspire the next generation and strengthen Bangladesh's grassroots football pathway.