Where champions begin: The village academy fuelling women’s football glory
In Rangatungi village, a grassroots football academy is training girls to become footballers, having already sent 23 players to the national team. But it now faces an uncertain future due to financial constraints.
When asked how her family's situation used to be and how it is now, a bright smile lit up Kohati Kisku's face.
"It used to be hard just to manage our daily living," she said. "But by the grace of God, things are much better now."
But first, a proper introduction: Kohati, 23, is a key member of the Bangladesh women's national football team — the same team that has made history by qualifying for the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the very first time.
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Kohati hails from Rangatungi, a remote village in the Ranisankail upazila of Thakurgaon district. It is in a place called Jangalbilash that the Rangatungi Women's Football Academy was born. And Kohati is not the only success story to come out of this academy.
Her two sisters, Sohagi and Bithika, have also gone on to represent the national team. In fact, 23 players from this very academy have earned the honour of wearing the national jersey. Thanks to this institution, the lives of many women from Rangatungi and nearby areas have been transformed. They have discovered self-reliance, and in turn, they are inspiring many more to follow in their footsteps.
Sagorika, another Rangatungi Academy graduate, recently scored four goals in a single match — the unofficial final of the SAFF U-20 Women's Championship — helping Bangladesh win the title against Nepal. And yet, there was a time when her father did not even want her to play football. Now, Sagorika is making her country proud on the international stage.
Stories like hers are common among the girls of Rangatungi. Almost all of them had to fight through obstacles — familial, financial and social — just to train at the academy. Many have already written their stories of success, while many more are still writing theirs.
Where it all began
An extraordinary grassroots movement took shape in 2014 — one that would change the course of women's football in Bangladesh. Spearheaded by Tajul Islam, then acting principal of Ranisankail College and a cultural activist with left-leaning political roots, the Rangatungi Football Academy was born out of an urge to defy long-held social restrictions on girls and provide them with a platform to dream beyond domestic boundaries.
Inspired during a day-long local football tournament where he was the chief guest, Tajul saw in the enthusiastic indigenous girls — particularly from the Santal community — a potential that had been stifled for generations.
Using a 50-bigha field which his family once owned in Rangatungi, Tajul initiated training with basic gear — jerseys, boots and footballs — sourced from well-wishers and local supporters. He even took on the coaching responsibilities himself, studying techniques and drills from YouTube videos to train the girls.
The community responded in kind.
A sports shop owned by Biplob Kumar Basak supplied most of the equipment for the academy. Medicine was provided on credit by a nearby pharmacy run by the Basak brothers, with village doctor Tapas Kumar Basak offering free treatment for the players and their families.
"The players came to me for treatment without any hesitation. Their problems are mainly wounds and injuries. Their parents and siblings also approached me for free treatment," said Tapas, whose pride in the girls was evident.
The academy began with girls from low-income and tribal backgrounds, many of whom had to overcome immense social pressure and gender norms simply to step onto the field. Despite these challenges, support from NGO Eco-Social Development Organization helped build a one-storey tin-shed house for the academy, while the deputy commissioner of the district funded a three-room space now serving as the office and dressing room.
Rangatungi's women's football project gradually drew in not just girls from ethnic minorities but also those from the ethnic majority, who could no longer resist the pull of the field as their peers began making headlines.
A name rooted in identity and dreams
The name "Rangatungi" itself carries local heritage, referring to an area at the junction of two unions. While it remains absent from official maps, the name resonates deeply with the community.
The academy's technical foundation was laid by coach Gopal Mormu Suga from the Santal community, the only one among the early coaches to have completed AFC C and grassroots certification.
His credentials were later confirmed by multiple visits from Mahbubur Rahman Polo, a senior coach from the Bangladesh Football Federation, who noted Suga's role as the primary coach during 2015–19.
Under Suga's guidance, the Rangatungi girls' team reached the final of the JFA Under-14 Women's Football Championship in 2018. In 2017, they earned the Joy Bangla Youth Award after finishing as runners-up in the same tournament.
That year, the team defeated Gaibandha district 4-1 in the regional final to qualify for the national round in Dhaka, where they went unbeaten in the group stage before falling to a Mymensingh team in the final. It was a period of rapid growth and national recognition.
From tea stalls to television screens
Since its inception, Rangatungi Football Academy has produced 23 footballers for different youth and senior national teams, with seven currently active in the national setup. Players like Mosammat Sagorika, Sohagi Kisku, Kohati Kisku, and Sapna have all worn national colours.
Sagorika, in particular, has become a sensation, scoring decisive goals against India in both the U-17 and U-19 South Asian championships and earning player of the tournament accolades. And just days ago, she scored all four goals in a single game to beat Nepal which earned Bangladesh the SAFF U-20 championship title.
Her rise from a family that ran a roadside tea stall to national stardom exemplifies the academy's transformative power.
"We never imagined Sagorika would go this far," her mother Anzu Begum said. "People used to say playing in shorts is not good, that our daughter would become a bad girl. Now they watch her on TV and come to our stall to congratulate us."
Breaking barriers within the Santal community
The success of the three Kisku sisters stands out, not just because of their achievements, but because they belong to the Santal community. Most Santals in Bangladesh live in the northern districts, and they are among the country's most economically disadvantaged communities.
Rangatungi village, where the Kisku sisters were born and raised, is home to around 30 Santal families — nearly all of them belonging to low-income backgrounds. The Kiskus were no exception.
The change in their fortunes was described by their parents. "We received Tk10 lakh last time because of Sohagi and Kohati, and it changed everything for our family," said their mother, Santina. Their father, Gulzar, added, "We struggled for years to raise our five children. But now, we no longer suffer. Sohagi and Kohati turned things around for us through football."
Kohati and Sohagi's father recalled that both his daughters had spent two to three years training at the Rangatungi academy before earning their call-up to the national team. Over time, they travelled to countries like Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Myanmar to represent Bangladesh in football.
Their victories brought recognition not just for themselves but for the whole family — they were honoured at home, and their parents were invited to the celebrations as well. The family had no land of their own to cultivate.
The three sisters, along with their parents and two brothers, used to work as labourers on other people's land just to earn their daily bread. The prize money the girls received made a tangible difference. "We used it to improve our family's condition," he said. "We built new houses and even bought two bighas of land."
Glory meets uncertainty as the academy struggles
Hearing about Rangatungi Football Academy's remarkable success, one might naturally wonder how such an institution is funded. The answer reveals a sobering reality.
From 2014 to 2023, founder Tajul Islam ran the academy entirely with money out of his own pocket. "Different organisations have donated boots or jerseys at different times," he explained. "But those are short-term fixes. After a while, we fall back into trouble again. We don't have any permanent sponsorship. During their menstrual cycles, I even buy sanitary pads for the girls with my own money. If anyone falls ill, I pay for their treatment myself."
Despite some occasional assistance from outside, none of it has been long-term. Today, the academy is financially vulnerable, struggling to meet even basic needs. Tajul Islam admitted that he can no longer provide essentials like football boots and jerseys. "Each of them needs at least two pairs of boots a year," he said. "I don't even have enough money for footballs or kits. How far can I go spending from my own pocket?" he added.
One of the most pressing challenges is ensuring proper nutrition for the players, most of whom come from extremely poor households. "I never compromise on nutrition," said Hafizul Islam, an advisor to the academy. "If we could ensure better meals for our girls, they would bring better results."
The financial barriers also extend to opportunities off the field. Hafizul said they are eager to take the girls to Dhaka to play in professional leagues but are forced to hold back on such aspirations.
"If I take 25 girls to Dhaka to play in the league, the costs for transportation, accommodation, food, and other expenses would total nearly Tk1 crore," he explained. "We simply don't have that kind of support. At one point, we were promised up to Tk20 lakhs in assistance, but that doesn't even come close to covering our actual needs."
He believes that with sustained support from the country's top business houses, Rangatungi could produce even greater results. "Even if someone donates a 28-seater bus just for transportation, that would be a huge help," he suggested. "If you compare our girls with Australian players, you'll notice they're, on average, 6–7 inches shorter. That's the result of inadequate nutrition from childhood. Imagine what they could do with the right support."
While a neighbouring women's academy in Jangaon — created just three years ago in Rangatungi's image — has managed to secure smoother funding through public support, Rangatungi's future hangs in balance. The Jangaon academy has already sent a player to the national youth team and even offers monthly incentives to top performers. Rangatungi, by contrast, is regressing due to financial uncertainty.
