Bashundhara Sports City: A new sporting powerhouse ready for the world stage

From Lionel Messi’s sublime skills to the brilliance of Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal, football’s global icons have inspired millions and helped embed the sport deeply in the hearts of people around the world. At the same time, athletes in disciplines beyond football have taken their countries to new heights while contributing to their economies.

Bangladesh, too, is a nation passionate about sport. But 55 years after independence, a fundamental question remains: how far has the country actually progressed in developing its sporting talent?

A glance at the enthusiasm of children and young people for sport provides part of the answer. Yet the country has long lacked the infrastructure and sustained initiatives needed to nurture that passion. Countless talents remain undiscovered, while many promising young athletes see their potential fade before it can blossom.

Against this backdrop, private-sector conglomerate Bashundhara Group has undertaken an ambitious initiative to develop sporting talent through Bashundhara Sports City, a vast sports complex built on 300 bighas of land inside Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka.

The sprawling complex brings together facilities for 17 sports across 24 international-standard venues, creating what is being described as a comprehensive sports ecosystem.

At its heart stands Kings Arena, a modern football stadium that has already written a new chapter in Bangladesh’s football history. The complex also features an international-standard cricket stadium and extensive training facilities that could help produce the sporting stars of tomorrow.

For combat sports such as mixed martial arts, boxing, Thai boxing and kickboxing, the complex houses the Zulkarna Indoor Arena, regarded as one of South Asia’s leading venues of its kind.

There are also multiple courts for paddle tennis, squash and badminton, as well as a branch of the internationally renowned American fitness chain Gold’s Gym. An Olympic-sized swimming complex and several spa facilities further expand the range of amenities.

The South Zone features basketball, kabaddi, volleyball, futsal and roller-skating facilities. A green international-standard golf driving range and a full-sized hockey ground are also part of the complex.

Taken together, the facilities represent a comprehensive sporting ecosystem — an undertaking that would appear difficult to imagine on such a scale.

A conventional stadium can be built on just a few acres of land, while a sports complex generally requires several grounds. Bashundhara Sports City, however, has brought together 24 international-standard facilities for 17 sporting disciplines on its vast site.

The project has been spearheaded by Bashundhara Group Chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, whose vision has resulted in what is described as the largest sports complex in South Asia and Bangladesh’s only fully integrated sports city.

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan has long been known as an innovative entrepreneur. Through Sports City, he has demonstrated another dimension of his vision, creating not only sporting infrastructure but also an enormous opportunity to develop the talents of a new generation.

The complex has added a distinctive dimension to the lush Bashundhara Residential Area. Its state-of-the-art facilities reflect the standards of leading sporting venues of the 21st century.

Kings Arena makes football history

Bashundhara Sports City has already created a new chapter in Bangladesh’s football history with Kings Arena, a football stadium modelled on European club standards.

The stadium has been designed with facilities and dimensions comparable to those used by major clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid. Bashundhara Kings became the first professional football club in Bangladesh to host Premier League matches at its own home ground.

The achievement is also significant in the South Asian context, as few clubs in the region have been able to host top-flight domestic matches at their own purpose-built stadiums.

Kings Arena has already welcomed international teams from Australia, Lebanon, Palestine, the Maldives and Afghanistan. It has also hosted exciting matches in the women’s SAFF Championship.

During the prolonged renovation of the national stadium, Kings Arena also became the home venue of the Bangladesh national football team.

A major cricket hub

Cricket has also received a major boost at the complex.

The sports city has five centre wickets and 12 turf pitches, along with a green outfield, open galleries and a two-storey pavilion. Its extensive indoor and outdoor cricket facilities are among the most comprehensive in the country.

An international cricket stadium with a capacity of 25,000 spectators is being developed in the South Zone. Adjacent facilities include an athletics track, practice grounds and indoor net-practice facilities.

The Bashundhara Sports City Cricket Ground has already made its debut as an international cricket venue, with Bangladesh Under-23 playing three one-day matches against Malaysia.

The complex also houses the Bashundhara Cricket Network, a world-class academy designed to train young cricketers. It provides extensive outdoor pitches as well as large indoor facilities for year-round training.

A professional golf driving range gives golfers an opportunity to hone their skills, while a full-sized hockey ground offers fresh hope for the country's hockey players.

World-class fitness and aquatic facilities

The complex also features a three-storey Gold’s Gym equipped with machines from renowned Italian brand Technogym.

Its facilities include a Himalayan salt bath, sauna, jacuzzi and steam room. Experienced trainers are available alongside cardio, group exercise and yoga facilities.

Separate swimming facilities are available for men and women, including a 50-metre Olympic-standard pool designed for competitive swimming, as well as an additional pool and diving facilities.

The swimming complex also contains dedicated floors and mats for taekwondo and judo.

Another major attraction is the 100,000-square-foot indoor complex. It contains 24 badminton courts under one roof, which can also be converted to accommodate eight mini-cricket matches simultaneously.

The indoor facility also includes 16 paddle-tennis courts and a modern basketball court featuring an international-standard wooden floor.

Outside, football enthusiasts have access to three artificial-turf futsal grounds.

Expanding opportunities for young athletes

The South Zone adds another self-contained sporting complex, featuring two modern futsal pitches and a dedicated roller-skating area for young people.

To help take traditional Bangladeshi sports to the international level, the zone includes two kabaddi courts and two volleyball courts, alongside three basketball courts.

The range of facilities means athletes from a wide variety of sporting disciplines can access high-quality training and competition venues within the same complex.

A private-sector model for sports development

The scale of Bashundhara Sports City sets it apart from most other sports complexes in South Asia.

Major Indian clubs generally do not have their own stadiums, while sports infrastructure in Pakistan is largely government-run. Sri Lanka, too, has not seen a private initiative of comparable scale.

In many countries, sports complexes are developed gradually through government funding. Bashundhara Sports City, by contrast, has been developed as a single private-sector initiative under an integrated master plan.

From drainage systems and floodlights to dressing rooms and galleries, the facilities have been designed along the lines of renowned sports villages in Europe and the United States.

Behind the enormous investment and extensive construction lies a long-term vision of building a healthier nation and nurturing a promising new generation.

Ahmed Akbar Sobhan’s elder brother, Abdus Sadeque, was captain of Bangladesh’s national hockey team and a prominent sports organiser. Inspired by his brother, the Bashundhara Group chairman himself became a noted sportsman.

That family passion for sport has been one of the driving forces behind the development of the Sports City.

Another key figure behind the initiative is Sayem Sobhan Anvir, managing director of Bashundhara Group and chairman of Anvir Bashundhara Group (ABG). His passion and commitment to sport have contributed significantly to the development of Bashundhara Sports City.

Today, the sprawling sporting sanctuary in Bashundhara Residential Area raises the possibility of a new sporting identity for Bangladesh.

The athletes trained on these grounds may one day write new chapters in the country's sporting success story.

At present, crowds at Dhaka University's TSC erupt in excitement when global football stars such as Messi, Neymar, Ronaldo, Mbappé and Yamal are celebrated.

Perhaps the day is not far off when people in remote towns in Brazil and Argentina, or on the streets of Spain and Paris, will cheer for sporting stars from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's cricketers, hockey and basketball players, boxers and athletes may one day dominate international arenas.

And perhaps Bashundhara Sports City will play a defining role in writing that next chapter of Bangladesh's sporting history — one that the world will watch with admiration.