Bangladesh shattering glass ceilings ahead of Women's Asian Cup debut

[p]In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines.[/p][p]The first women's football league matches took place in 2011, and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices.[/p][p]"[b]Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,[/b]" captain Afeida Khandaker said ahead of her side's March 3 debut in Australia.[/p][p]In rural areas especially, women and girls are discouraged from or even harassed for playing sport, with some religious leaders deeming it indecent.[/p][p]"[b]Girls often had to quit football after primary school,[/b]" Khandaker said. "Neighbours would complain about how teenage girls could play football while wearing shorts."[/p][p]To stay on the pitch, girls also have to fend off pressure to marry before they turn 18.[/p][p]Local league player Ennima Khanom Richi, 20, said many of her teammates were forced out of football and into arranged marriages.[/p][p]"[b]Families often cannot bear the social pressure, so they stop their girls from playing,[/b]" she said.[/p][embed guid="3af54560-6978-447f-b476-38d05b0c4547" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrzZwTmkwko" social-type="youtube" /][p]Two years of political turmoil have only increased the obstacles.[/p][p]Emboldened by upheaval since the 2024 uprising that overthrew the government, Islamist activists have directed much of their attention towards Bangladeshi women, accusing them of insufficient modesty.[/p][p]Several women's football matches were cancelled last year after pitch invasions and threats of violence.[/p][p]While the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bangladesh/ll09QFJe/"]Bangladesh[/a] Nationalist Party, which won last month's general elections, has vowed to back women's rights, an Islamist coalition's unprecedented share of the vote stirred fears of regressive gender policies.[/p][p]Skipper Khandaker, from a southern constituency where Islamist lawmakers won the recent polls, knows the cost of serving as a role model.[/p][p]"[b]My sister and I both wanted to be footballers, and for that my parents -- especially my mother -- had to endure bitter words,[/b]" said the 20-year-old, who started playing at the age of five.[/p][p]Her father, Khandaker Arif Hossain Prince, backed his daughters' athletic ambitions, but he noted not all families have that luxury.[/p][p]"[b]Our aspiring footballers come from marginalised families, and it is often not possible for them to provide financial support,[/b]" said Prince, a women's football organiser.[/p][p]"[b]Some of their parents are rickshaw pullers, labourers, or tea vendors... Some cannot afford it and quit football. I feel like quitting too every time I see a girl leaving the game.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="9ab6bf25-aeff-4758-ab0c-9d8b0ab9b6fe" url="https://x.com/BangladeshFooty/status/2028556287055696292" social-type="twitter" /][p]While on a break from passing drills at an early morning training session at the National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh Football Federation coach Saiful Bari Titu, 53, said "[b]just talking about the women's team is a privilege for me[/b]".[/p][p]"[b]They faced a lot of protests,[/b]" he added.[/p][p]After years of building grassroots support for women's football, the federation is starting to see a payoff.[/p][p]More than 40 football clubs across Bangladesh now train girls from the age of nine.[/p][p]"[b]We didn't even have a national women's team before 2008,[/b]" said Mahfuza Akter Kiron, 59, head of the BFF women's wing.[/p][p]"[b]It was a real struggle for them to play football.[/b]"[/p][p]While salaries for national team players remain low, especially compared to the men's earnings, the small amount of money has brought stability to dozens of families.[/p][p]"[b]I wanted to offer a livelihood to the footballers,[/b]" Kiron added.[/p][p]Organisers said that as progress in women's football becomes evident, sponsors are beginning to show interest, and people's attitudes are shifting.[/p][p]"[b]People seem happy now,[/b]" said Khandaker. "T[b]hey gather to see me when I go home.[/b]"[/p][p]She is clear-sighted about the scale of the competition as Bangladesh open their campaign against nine-time Asian champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/china/IFHViN7N/"]China[/a] on Tuesday.[/p][p]"[b]China and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/north-korea/fojQgvMl/"]North Korea[/a] are far ahead of us in the rankings... but we will give our best.[/b]"[/p][embed guid="6177c75c-c3bb-423d-ba4d-4a8fdc17c577" url="https://x.com/arnuX05/status/2028580783347421415" social-type="twitter" /]