Soccer Archives - ABPL 2022

Creative Mind Behind ABPL

Austin BD Soccer — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 22:50:09 +0000

Creative Mind Behind ABPL

We are just few weeks away from kicking off the first ever soccer league of Austin’s Bangladeshi Community, known as Austin BD-Soccer Premier League (ABPL) 2022. Four teams will be participating in the inaugural season and these teams are based on four different areas of Austin – Leander Bandits Soccer Club (LBSC) from Leander, Liberty Hills and northwest part of Austin, United South Austin with players from South Austin, Buda and San Marcos; Austin Arsenal from Central Austin, North Austin and Cedar Park; and finally, RRP FC from Round Rock, Pflugerville and Hutto neighborhood. These four teams will play against each other three times, which means there will be eighteen (18) games in total and each team will be playing nine (9) games. The season will start on May 15^th and will wrap up on July 24^th. This will give players enough time for rest and to get prepared for year end soccer tournaments.

The idea of ABPL first came into the mind of a local soccer player (who would prefer to stay as anonymous) after he played with a local soccer club called Austin Bandits in a 7v7 soccer league in 2021. Austin Bandits was the brainchild of Mehedi, another Leander based local soccer player who managed the team as they played in Northwest Soccer league. The team didn’t perform well. While the league was 30 plus players, most of the players of Austin Bandits (AB) were near or above 40. Besides they played against teams whose players are from European, African, and South American nations. Still the AB team’s players enjoyed participating in the league and each week they all came together to play or watch and enjoy the environment. That environment triggered the mind of one of the AB players, who first started thinking of having a league of our own (Bangladeshi soccer league with Bangladeshi players). The player was heavily involved in brining back the players back to the field after Covid and was involved in last year’s successful completion of Austin Bangladeshi Soccer tournament.

He went on to create a draft version of his idea and presented it to few other soccer players. While few were skeptical, most liked the idea and wanted him to proceed. Few agreed to be part of it, put their valuable time on it and cooperate to ensure a successful planning and organizing of the event. There are obviously lot of challenges associated with it. But organizers believe that if all the players give them the opportunity, then they expect to deliver something to the soccer community that would benefit all players and the regular Sunday soccer would be more fun, competitive and friendly.

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The Most Effective Training Programs

hussaintouhid — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 15:28:50 +0000

The dribbling soccer drills on this page aim to help you coach your players in running with the ball at their feet, beating players with their skill and pace. This is a core soccer skill and we look at the fine details of the techniques required to dribble like Messi or Gareth Bale. We have games and exercises to help your players become master dribblers.

DRIBBLE TO SCORE

A fast game to develop the ability of your players to dribble into the area at speed and create goal-scoring chances. This game helps to get your players dribbling past defenders and shooting at goal. It will help your players win 1v1s and get them finishing off good moves.

SET UP

Set up a playing area 40×40 yards with a smaller 30×30-yard area inside it. We’re using eight players for the session. You need balls, bibs, cones and four mini goals.

HOW TO PLAY IT

Play a 3v3 with two floating players who play for the attacking team. Play takes place inside the smaller area and players must dribble into the larger square but then attack the opposite end – play must then go back through the smaller square and be dribbled out to where players can then score.

TECHNIQUE

This is good for fast dribbling and game-like play. Very relevant in an individual development context, it should be part of every coach’s training schedule. Players need to build confidence on the ball and take that confidence into the match with them. It also helps players learn how to turn with the ball when in possession.

1. Players must dribble into the larger goal zone and then attack the other end – players can only get into the larger area by dribbling the ball in
2. A goal can be scored once play has reached the opposite end and the ball is dribbled in

3. Here the attacking team makes use of the two floating players by dribbling into the goal zone and scoring in the net
4. The defenders must try and win the ball before the attacking team can get into the larger zone so they can become the attackers

5. Progress the session by allowing one defender to go into the goal zone when the attacker is dribbling in

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Illustrated History of Austin BD Soccer

Austin BD Soccer — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 21:40:00 +0000

It all started somewhere back in the late eighties when some Bangladeshi students from UT Austin decided to play soccer at least once or twice a week amid their busy schedules. They were all young kids then and relatively new in the country and chose soccer to create a sense of community as soccer helped them to bring everyone together. As you all know, back then, there was no internet, and it was not easy to make phone calls back home. There were no iPhone, no WhatsApp, no Viber or FB. The students formed a team and called it Team BSA (Bangladesh Students Association). They participated at UT’s Intramural Sports, which had a soccer league then. Some notable first Team players’ were Syed Rahman Rana, Abu Sayed, Mostafiz Rahman Mithu, Hasan Taufique Sohel, Ashif Mahmud Rubel, Khoshru, Tony and others. They used to play at UT’s IF (Intramural Fields) near 45^th street.

After they graduated, they continued playing regularly and choose a field in Austin’s Far West area to play soccer from 1994. By that time, many new students and professionals moved to Austin. They mostly played during weekdays, once or twice a week. During 1994’s World Cup time, many of them gathered to watch the game at Quamrul Mina’s place, who himself was a soccer player then. It was right after the final game (between Brazil and Italy) of the World Cup, some of them decided to organize a match between Austin’s (Bangladeshi) Brazil’s Supporters vs Italy’s Supporters. That’s when the idea of getting blue and yellow jerseys first came up. Even now when we ask folks to join for Sunday soccer, we ask them to bring either blue or yellow jerseys to divide the players between the teams by their jersey color.

It was back in June 1997 when the first Austin BD Soccer Tournament took place, hosted by the Bangladesh Students Association (BSA) of UT Austin. It had wide participation by the Bangladeshi Community in all of Austin. Five soccer teams participated in the tournament and the festivity surrounding it and the tournament quality indeed made it a very enjoyable and successful event. The team named Sreshto, managed by Quamrul Mina, won the championship. A total of 55 players participated in that tournament. Each team were owned by two women and a coach-manager was assigned to each team. The tournament was sponsored by Tokyo Autos and Pragma Systems, two business based in Austin. All the games took place at sprawling UT Intramural soccer fields.

Drafting of the players and the way teams were formed was quite interesting. Each team were allocated ten thousand points and they had to use these points judiciously to select the players who were ranked in eleven groups of five players in each level. A minimum of 500 points had to be spent for a player. So, if a team bought a star player with lots of points, they will have fewer points to pick players from other level. Highest bidder for a player got the player. This drafting rule made the teams generally of equal strength.

All the teams participated in that tournament did it with good spirit and sportsmanship. The organizing committee members were Rana, Rubel, Faisal and Zia-Nasser. It was a very well organized tournament and it opened the door for future tournaments in soccer and in other sports.

Some of the prominent players of Austin BD Soccer during 90s era were Abid, Simon, Hero jr, Tuhin, Rubel, Rana, Faisal, Sohel, Saiful Islam, Nasim Uddin, Jami, Hero sr. During that Austin BD team started playing matches against Houston BD and Dallas BD teams.

Austin BD Soccer has been around for a long time, and it will continue to stay for a lot longer. The growth that Austin’s BD community have seen in recent years is phenomenal. Some of the senior players (from 90s era) are still playing, while some joins during the tournament to manage/coach teams. We have a long road ahead of us, but the passion of the players, former players and friends are quite remarkable. The soccer in Austin have gained lots of support from the community and it can do great things to make Austin BD soccer even more successful.

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Qatar`s World Cup Stadiums

Austin BD Soccer — Tue, 04 Jan 2022 21:45:07 +0000

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be ground breaking in a number of ways when the first ball is kicked at the Al Bayt Stadium on Nov. 21.

Being held in the Middle East — as part of FIFA’s pledge to host a major tournament in the region — Qatar 2022 will bring the biggest international football showpiece to the Arab world for the first time.

Al thumama Stadium

Located 12km south of Doha, Al Thumama stadium’s design weaves Arab culture through its facade, drawing inspiration from the woven patterns of a Gahfiya, the traditional head piece worn by Muslim men in the Arabian region. In addition to its design, the area surrounding the project explores the importance of ecological and contextual architecture, targeting Global Sustainability Assessment System Trust (GSAS) 4-star certification for both design and construction. The stadium ensures the saving of 40% more fresh water compared to a conventional stadium, using recycled water to irrigate green areas. 50,000 sqm of park area is integrated within the design, using native trees to cover 84% of the landscape. The stadium was inaugurated during the 49th Amir Cup Final on 22 October 2021.

Al Janoub Stadium

Back in 2013, Zaha Hadid Architects were selected to work alongside AECOM for the design and construction of Al Janoub Stadium (perviously known as Al Wakrah Stadium). Built in Al Wakrah, one of the oldest inhabited areas of the south of Doha and nestled within a rich cultural site with profound archeological heritage, the design is inspired by the city’s history of pearl diving, fishing, and traditional dhow boats. The 40,000-seat stadium opened on 16 May 2019, coinciding with the Amir Cup final. After the World Cup, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced to 20,000 attendees, whereas the other 20,000 seats will be donated to football development projects overseas. Hospitality and recreation facilities, as well as a school, event hall, cycling, horse riding, and running tracks are some of the new amenities that are currently being developed alongside the stadium to ensure its use on the long run.

Al Bayt Stadium

Inspired by traditional nomadic tents, the 60,000-capacity stadium is set to host the opening match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 and fixtures up until the semi-finals. Located in the northern city of Al Khor, a city famous for its pearl diving and fishing which has invited desert-dwellers to the coast throughout the years, the stadium’s design honors Qatar’s past and present, highlighting the city’s culture, traditions, and history. Similar to nomad’s tents, the upper tier of the modular design seating is portable, and will be removed following the championship, and given to developing nations in need of sporting infrastructure. The stadium’s design was revealed mid 2014 by the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and Aspire Zone Foundation, and was inaugurated early 2020, coinciding with Qatar’s National Sports Day..

Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium

Home to one of Qatar’s most celebrated football teams in the city of Al Rayyan, the Ahmad bin Ali stadium celebrates its close-knit community by incorporating symbols of the Qatari culture and traditions. One of the main design features is the undulating façade, made of patterns that characterize different aspects of the country, such as “the importance of family, the beauty of the desert, the native flora and fauna, as well as local and international trade”. 40,000 fans will be protected via a lightweight canopy and advanced cooling systems, ensuring optimum comfort during the matches. Labeled as the “gateway to the desert”, the stadium opened its doors in December 2020 during the Amir Cup final.

Education City Stadium

Situated within a vibrant center of knowledge and innovation, the Education City Stadium is surrounded by academic facilities and sports organizations. Due to its particular location in Education City, the structure has been carefully designed with a great focus on accessibility. During construction, excavators uncovered rocks that date back 20-30 million years, which forced them to dig 17 meters further down, so the pitch can sit below sea level where temperatures are cooler. The façade features triangular patterns, a reimagination of traditional arabesque patterns, that appear to change color during the day following the sun’s movement across the sky. The design was revealed in 2014, and was complete and open to the public in 2020.

Stadium 974

Considered as one of the most innovative stadium designs of all 8 structures, Stadium 974, previously known as Ras Abou Aboud, is inspired by Qatar’s international trade and seafaring. The number “974” is highly significant for the project as well, as it is the international dialing code for Qatar, as well as the number of shipping containers used in its construction. The structure is located on the shore across Doha’s West Bay skyline. Since it’s mainly made of shipping containers, the 40,000-capacity stadium will be entirely demounted upon completion of the World Cup, and used as a waterfront development for the local community. The stadium was inaugurated on 20 November 2021, via a digital launch.

Khalifa International Stadium

Built in 1976 in Al Rayyan, the Khalifa International Stadium has long been one of the most notable stadiums, having hosted the Asian Games, the Arabian Gulf Cup and the AFC Asian Cup, among other events. For this event, the stadium is expanded to accommodate 40,000 fans and equipped with an “innovative cooling technology” that will allow players to compete at a comfortable environment. The structure sees an addition of a single roof to shelter the seating areas, along with a new east wing structure that will host food courts, shops, multi-purpose rooms, VIP lounges, museum, and a health center. The reopening ceremony took place in 2017.

Lusail Stadium

The 80,000-capacity Lusail Stadium, the largest of all 8 structures, will be hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final. The design is inspired by the interplay of light and shadow seen in the Fanar lantern. The structural form and façade echo the intricate motifs of art and furniture pieces found across the Arab and Islamic world during early civilizations. Due to its prominent locations in Lusail, a newly built metropolis, the master planning of the stadium features a tram system, and lush green spaces, turning it into a sustainability-focused arena that focuses on human needs and environmental conservation. Once the event is over, it will be transformed into a multi-purpose community hub with schools, shops, cafés, sporting facilities, and health clinics. The stadium was inaugurated end of 2021.

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The Essential Soccer Equipment List

Austin BD Soccer — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 16:25:28 +0000

Soccer is an easy sport to pick up and start playing, partially because it doesn’t require very much equipment. At its core, all you need is ball and you play a pickup game. Once you start playing a little more, though, you’ll find that there is a collection of essential soccer gear that you’ll want to have.

Cleats

A good pair of soccer cleats is by far the most essential piece of equipment for playing this wonderful game. One of the beauties about soccer is that it doesn’t take a whole lot of gear to play, but cleats are the exception – we would consider them a must have.

Cleats allow you to plant, cut, and accelerate on the field. They are designed to form fit your foot, resulting in better touch on the ball. Without cleats, you’ll be slipping all over the field, and your traps, passes, and kicks will be off.

Every foot is different, and so you’ll want to spend some time making sure you grab the right pair. For example, there are specialized cleats for wide feet and for flat feet. Depending on your specific foot, these specialized cleats can be a lot more comfortable, while also giving you better accuracy at the same time.

In addition, there are specialized cleats for the specific position you play. This might not be very important if you’re buying a pair of cleats for your kids, but as you get into the high school and club spots, you might want to consider it. You can pick up a pair of cleats designed for forwards and strikers, for midfielders and wingers, or for defenders and fullbacks.

Shin Guards

Shin guards might seem a little funny until you’ve played a game of soccer, and then you realize how essential they are. A fast paced game of soccer typically comes with its fair share of ankle hacks and shin kicks. Without guards, you can do serious damage to your shins.

Shin guards as a concept have actually been around since the ancient Greeks used them in battle. In soccer, they were first introduced in 1874 by Sam Weller Widdowson. Their popularity and has waxed and waned over the years, but they have always been a consistent in the sport.

It wasn’t until FIFA required shin guards in the 1990’s that a lot of effort was put into their form and fit. Nowadays, you can find shin guards in all shapes and sizes, depending on your preferences.

The two most common types of guards are sleeve shin guards and slip-in shin guards. Sleeve guards are worn, almost like an additional sock. Slip-in guards are just as they sound – they “slip-in” underneath your socks. A modified version of the sleeve version comes with an ankle support brace as well, which is particularly great for defenders.

Socks

With shin guards a requirement in the game, soccer socks have a new level of importance as an essential piece of equipement. The rules state that your shin guards must be fully covered by your socks. In other words, you’ll need a good pair of socks specifically designed for soccer.

Soccer socks should fit tight and come all the way up to the knee. As a matter of fact, they will typically go above the knee, and the style is to fold them down and back over your guards, in essence doubling up on the sock over this area.

Goalkeeper Gloves

Obviously, if you aren’t planning on playing goalie, then you can skip over this section – you don’t need gloves unless you’ll be playing in goal. However, for a goalie, gloves are perhaps the most important piece of equipment they can own.

For starters, the nicer the glove, the more padding they will have throughout the glove. Padding helps protect your hands from hard shots. Nicer gloves will also have better grip throughout the glove, which is essential for trying to catch a rapidly moving ball.

Higher-end gloves also have finger and wrist protection incorporated into the design. Hard shots can do a number on your fingers, bending them back to the point where they dislocate. The best goalie gloves have finger guards and wrist protection to keep you safe.

With all of the diving and sliding that you do in goal, affordable gloves wear out quickly. Definitely spend a little time reading up and buying a pair that will last you for several seasons.

Gear Bag

There are a lot of little items you’ll want to have with you while you play soccer. Typically, these range from a water bottle to tape to a pump for your ball, along with any personal items like deodorant and maybe a snack.

While none of these are requirements, you’ll end up wanting at least a few of these, and you’ll need a bag to carry it in.

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