A night of awards and celebrations with four times Upazila Champions.
On Tuesday 1st October, the Bishwanath Sports Association (BSA) held their dinner and awards ceremony at the events venue, Ark Royal, Edmonton to celebrate the phenomenal achievements of the Bishwanath FC at the Upazila Football tournament organised by Sonali Othith back in August 2024 in Mabley Green, Hackney.
This formidable footballing upazila has won the tournament four times now, namely in 2019, 2022, 2023 and again in 2024, with the team organised and led by BSA so this awards evening was special as it brought together Bishwanathis from across the country as well as dignitaries, politicians and representatives from the other upazilas including Balagonj, Osmani Nagar, Nobigonj, Jagannath Pur, Dokkin Surma, Chhatak, Dera, Rajnagar, Beani Bazar, Gulapgonj, and Sadar.
The co-hosts for the evening were Anfor Ali, Secretary of BSA and Koyes Miah, Chairman of BSA. The event commenced with Quran recitation by Akhlaqur Rahman, Treasurer of Biswanath Probashi Education Trust UK.
The procession commenced with housekeeping announcements by Anfor Ali and a keynote speech from Koyes Miah. He said “We are grateful to everyone here and joining in the celebrations of our achievements as the four-times upazila champions. This event is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and support from each one of you.
“a special shout out to all our incredible sponsors; your generosity and support has made all this possible.
“This celebration isn’t just about the trophies. It is about recognising the commitment and passion that every team member, player, supporter and sponsor brings.
“We couldn’t have done it without you, and we look forward to sharing many more successes in the future.”
The first recognition was for all the sponsors including Ark Royal, Graam Bangla (kit), and I-Claim Accident Management. Other sponsors included Impression Events Venue, Heavenly Desserts (Gallions Reach), Stroudley PFC, Ukay Group, Padma Money Transfer, M1 Accident Management, Light of Bengal, Dilchard, Yolo Photo Mirror, and Probashi Palli.
The next recognition was for the organisers of the Upazila tournament, Sonali Othith UK. Chairman Jamal Uddin and Secretary Joynal Abedin Miah were on stage to say a few words of inspiration about the Bishwanath team. The recognise that Bishwanath stood out for the management and players unity from the outset, which helped them on the day.
Also, on stage to say a few words of appreciation were some of the representatives of the Bishwanath Probashi Education Trust (BPET) including Akhlaqur Rahman, Misbah Uddin, Abdur Rahim Ronju, Nasar Ali Lilu, to name a few.
Next on stage was the ex-Chairman and Honorary President Dawlath Khan Babul to say a few words of inspiration and appreciation. He chaired BSA in the early years of the organisation from 2015 to 2019.
The awards and recognition proceeded for the entire management of BSA as the following:
Koyes Miah – Chairman
Yakub Ali – Vice Chairman
Anfor Ali – Secretary
Kobir Chowdhury – Treasurer
Khalis Miah – Manager (Bishwanath FC) and Head of Operations (BSA)
Wahid Rahman – Digital Media Lead
Ashik Ali – Organising Secretary
Azad Ali – EC Member
Alam Sheikh – EC Member
Shamim Miah – EC Member
Koyes A. K. – EC Member
The evening proceeded to their football squad. The eighteen players that showed grit and determination, fought tooth and nail and brought the glory to the Bishwanath Upazila once again. The manager Khalis Miah took control of the podium, talking about his experiences and the journey to their fourth glory, with three in a row. He then introduced the full squad. They were:
Shiblu Miah
Abdul Hussain (GK)
June Ali
Jahid Hussain
Ajad Ali
Rokib Ali
Jabed Khan
Kabir Uddin
Masum Hussain
Abdul Kalam (London)
Saddique Ahmed
Sajadul Haque
Abdur Rahim
Abdul Kalam
Syed Ali
Sadique Ali
Humayun Rashid Rubel
Jahed Baksh.
The past and present captains were recognised for their leadership contributions. Several players also said a few words about their achievements and how they felt on the day, almost going out on penalties, but with hope and belief, they went on to lift the ultimate trophy.
One player said a few profound words; “stories of our success will be remembered widely. However, we haven’t finished writing it yet!”
There were a few recognitions for people doing tremendous work behind the scenes to make it all happen, these included Treasurer Kobir Chowdhury and volunteer, Thahed Uzzaman.
Awards were given to the following players –
Abdul Hussain – 3 recognition awards – Best Keeper of the Tournament, Player’s Player Award and Chairman’s Player Award.
Jabed Khan – Best Newcomer
Sadique Ali – Top Scorer
Shiblu Miah – Player of the Tournament.
Finally, the evening was drawn to a close with closing speeches from a few dignitaries including Cllr Suluk Ahmed and Faruk Mahfuz Ahmed, and then a silver service with sumptuous food.
BSA UK, founded in 2015, aims to represent British-Bishwanathis across the UK in various sports such as football and badminton. To find out more about the work of BSA, you can follow on social media facebook.com/bsa.
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