Bangladesh_Championship_League
Bangladesh Championship League
Association football league in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Championship League (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ লিগ), simply known as the BCL and officially ABG Bashundhara Bangladesh Championship League since 2023 for sponsorship reasons,[1] is the second-tier professional football league of Bangladesh run by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It was founded in 2012.
 | |
| Founded | 2012; 12 years ago (2012) |
|---|---|
| First season | 2012 |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Number of teams | 11 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Bangladesh Premier League |
| Relegation to | Senior Division Football League |
| Current champions | Brothers Union (2022–23) |
| Website | bff.com.bd |
| Current: 2023–24 Bangladesh Championship League | |
Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) introduced the country's first professional football league in 2007. The 2nd tier professional league began with the 2012 season of Premier League. BFF introduced the second-tier league in 2012 as season 5 of Premier League was commencing.[2]
Champions so far are:[2][3][4][5]
| Season | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Cox City Sporting Club | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 20 |
| 2013 | Chittagong Abahani | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 30 |
| 2014 | Rahmatganj MFS | 18 | 13 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 8 | 28 | 44 |
| 2014–15 | Uttar Baridhara SC | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 27 |
| 2015–16 | Fakirerpool Young Men's Club | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 27 |
| 2017 | Bashundhara Kings | 17 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 23 | 17 | 6 | 35 |
| 2018-19 | Bangladesh Police FC | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 31 | 13 | 18 | 39 |
| 2019-20 |
Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh[6] | ||||||||
| 2021 | Swadhinata KS | 22 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 30 | 11 | 19 | 45 |
| 2021–22 | Fortis FC | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 29 | 9 | 20 | 47 |
| 2022–23 | Brothers Union | 20 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 30 | 6 | 24 | 51 |
Performance in the Bangladesh Championship League by clubs
As of the end of 2022–23 season.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Years Won | Years Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox City Sporting Club | 1 | 2012 | ||
| Chittagong Abahani | 1 | 2013 | ||
| Uttar Baridhara SC | 1 | 3 | 2014-15 | 2012, 2013, 2018-19 |
| Rahmatganj MFS | 1 | 2014 | ||
| Farashganj SC | 1 | 2014 | ||
| Fakirerpool Young Men's Club | 1 | 2015–16 | ||
| Saif Sporting Club | 1 | 2015–16 | ||
| Bashundhara Kings | 1 | 2017 | ||
| NoFeL Sporting Club | 1 | 2017 | ||
| Bangladesh Police FC | 1 | 2018-19 | ||
| Arambagh KS | 1 | 2014-15 | ||
| Swadhinata KS | 1 | 2020-21 | ||
| Fortis FC | 1 | 2021-22 | ||
| AFC Uttara | 1 | 2021-22 | ||
| Brothers Union | 1 | 2022–23 | ||
| BFF Elite Football Academy | 1 | 2022–23 |
Top Goalscorer
| Year | Player | Club | Goals | |
| 2013 |  Nabib Newaj Jibon | Uttar Baridhara SC | 12 | |
| 2015–16 | Arifur Rahman | Victoria SC | 6 | |
| 2017 | Ariful Islam | NoFeL SC | 12 | |
| 2018–19 | Amirul Islam | Bangladesh Police FC | 18 | |
| 2019–20 | League cancelled | |||
| 2020–21 | Ali Akbar Kanon | Wari Club | 13 | |
| 2021–22 | Moinul Islam Moin | Uttara FC | 18 | |
| 2022–23 | Mirajul Islam | BFF Elite Football Academy | 19 | |
The following 8 clubs have competed in the Bangladesh Championship League during the 2023–24 season.
- PWD Sports Club
- Farashganj Sporting Club
- BFF Elite Football Academy
- Dhaka Wanderers Club
- Fakirerpool Young Men's Club
- NoFeL Sporting Club
- Uttara FC
- Wari Club
The venues for the current season are:-
Here is the list of sponsors of BCL since its inception:
| Period | Sponsors | Type of Institute | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2014 | Premier Bank Limited | Bank | At first season, Premier Bank Limited sponsored the title, Destiny Group was the co-sponsor of first season. | [7][8] |
| 2014-2015 | Minister Freeze | Electronics | Premier Bank was named as a presenting sponsor while Pragati Insurance, Eastern Bank, Novo Air and Treasure Securities named as co-sponsors of the league. | [9] |
| 2015-2017 | RB-Marcel Group | Electronics | They sponsored seasons: 2015/16 and 2017. | [10][11] |
| 2018-2019 | International Sports Partner | Distributor | TVS brand is the 'title sponsor' as well as of BPL. | [12] |
- "Bashundhara Group's ABG Limited to support National Women's Football Team". New Age. Retrieved 2024-02-25.
- "BCL 2012 points table". BFF. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- "BCL 2013 points table". BFF. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- "BCL 2014 points table". BFF. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
- "Marcel Bangladesh Championship League 2017 Standings". BFF. Archived from the original on 2020-05-06. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
- "BFF cancels football season". The Daily Star. 17 May 2020.
- "Premier Bank remain with BCL". Dhaka Tribune. 2014-02-24. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- সোমবার থেকে বাংলাদেশ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ লিগ. bangla.bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-05-31.
- "Bangladesh Championship League logo unveiled". UNB. Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- "MARCEL becomes title sponsor of BCL 2017". BFF. Archived from the original on 2019-05-28. Retrieved 2019-05-28.
- বাংলাদেশ চ্যাম্পিয়নস লিগের লোগো উন্মোচন. The Daily Ittefaq. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
- "Deal inked with ISP, new BPL title sponsor TVS". BFF. Archived from the original on 2019-05-30. Retrieved 2019-05-30.