Mini stadium project under rethink ahead of new budget cycle

The ambitious “Mini Stadium” project - a nationwide initiative to nurture the next generation of grassroots athletes - is now undergoing a significant re-evaluation as the government approaches a new budget cycle.

Conceived more than a decade ago in the 2014–15 financial year, the project initially set out to deliver modern sporting facilities to 492 upazilas across Bangladesh.

Its first phase proved highly successful.

Beginning in 2015 with a budget of Tk123 crore, the scheme produced aesthetically pleasing, functional stadiums in 125 upazilas.

Encouraged by this progress, a far larger second phase was approved in mid-2021.

With an allocation of Tk2,855 crore, it aimed to construct facilities across 201 upazilas in 58 districts - one of the most extensive grassroots sports infrastructure undertakings in the country’s history.

However, the political turbulence and administrative shifts of the past two years have taken a considerable toll on the project’s trajectory.

The most consequential change followed the unprecedented student-led mass uprising of July and August 2024.

In its aftermath, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, the interim government’s Youth and Sports Adviser, introduced sweeping structural and ideological reforms.

In a departure from long-standing political convention, the authorities decided that these under-construction stadiums would be dedicated to the martyrs of the July revolution, rather than to any political lineage.

The principle behind this shift was unambiguous: to safeguard sports facilities from partisan influence and ensure they remained strictly reserved for athletic purposes - with commercial fairs and political gatherings explicitly prohibited.

Although the immediate post-revolution period saw renewed administrative vigilance, subsequent reshuffles inevitably slowed progress.

Design revisions, procedural delays, and bureaucratic complexities have left physical advancement in the second phase stuck at around 60%.

As a result, the project deadline has been pushed back to June 2027.

Now, with the 2025–26 financial year drawing to a close and the 2026–27 cycle commencing on 1 June, discussions of a comprehensive administrative “rethink” are gaining momentum within the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Amid concerns that grassroots development had come to an abrupt halt, Aminul Ehsan, Director (Sports) at the National Sports Council (NSC), offered a frank assessment of the situation. He acknowledged that while construction had not entirely stopped, it had entered a period of deliberate pause.

“It is a bit stagnant right now,” Ehsan said. “I mean, it is being rethought whether it will actually remain in the format of the recent past or if something new will be added; these are being pondered. It is not completely closed. Whatever funds were released for this financial year, the ones that are near completion with that money are being finished. But for the rest, there is a standstill at the moment to rethink it. Exactly what nature it will take. There will be stadiums at the upazila level. Now for the stadiums… how much to spend… I mean, what will be the pattern, what kind of pavilion will there be or not, will there be a gallery or not, these areas are being rethought.”

Reflecting on the end of the current budget cycle, he added: “The financial year is almost over. Whatever was planned for this financial year is almost being completed. Whether there will be a budget for the next financial year or not, these decisions are ongoing.”

According to the NSC, the project was allocated Tk153 crore for the current cycle. 

Detailing the progress, Ehsan noted, "Tk153 crore was allocated for this financial year. It was said that 50 stadiums would be completed, 40 will be handed over, and work on 10 will be ongoing."

Yet, this current pause should not be misconstrued as a permanent cessation.

There are robust indications that the upcoming budget will herald a radical overhaul of the entire scheme.