PWD Sports Club (Bengali: পিডব্লিউডি স্পোর্টস ক্লাব), also referred to as PWD SC, is a professional football club based in Segunbagicha of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The club currently competes in the Bangladesh Championship League, the second-tier of Bangladeshi football, after being promoted from the Dhaka Senior Division League in the 2021–22 season.
Full name | Public Works Department Sports Club | ||
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Short name | PWDSC | ||
Founded | 1954 | ||
Owner | Public Works Department | ||
General Secretary | Moshiur Rahman Akondo | ||
Head Coach | Md Anwar Hossain | ||
League | Bangladesh Championship League | ||
2023–24 | Championship League, 3rd of 8th | ||
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History
editEarly years (1954–1979)
editPWD Sporting Club was founded in 1954 as a recreational program by some sports-loving engineers of the Public Works Department. Some of the founding members of the club include its first president and chief engineer Eyaz Khan, Alhaj Uddin, Abdul Rahim, Fazlur Rahman, Fayaz Ahmed, and Kazi Abdul Qader, to name a few. The club tent was constructed on land owned by the Public Works Department in Segunbagicha of Dhaka.[1]
In 1956, the club entered domestic football in Dhaka through the Third Division and became league champions in their first season. The following year, in 1957, the club became champions of the Second Division and gained promotion to the top-tier. The club entered the First Division in 1958 and under the captaincy of Anjam Hossain, they finished in third-place.[1] In the same year, PWD, led by the Pakistan national team's central defender, Nabi Chowdhury, participated in the Aga Khan Gold Cup. They defeated Central Jail and Sindh Youngmen's Club by 8–0 and 5–1, respectively,[2][3] before losing 2–5 to Keamari Mohammedan prior to the quarter-final.[4]
In 1965, PWD ended Victoria Sporting Club's 67-game unbeaten streak in the league's sixth round. However, following the Independence of Bangladesh, they elected a new club committee led by two of their previous members, Abdul Rahim and Fazlur Rahman. This change saw them battling relegation almost every season, with the exception of reaching the Super League round in 1974, 1976, and 1977. The club was relegated from the top-flight after finishing bottom of the league in 1979.
Yo-yo years (1980–2013)
editThe club decided against participating in the Dhaka Second Division League in 1980 and began their hunt for promotion from 1981. PWD earned promotion back to the top-flight as the 1984 Second Division champion, with the help of their 16-goal striker, Mostafizur Rahman Mostak. In 1985, Mostak helped PWD remain in the top-flight by scoring 9 goals as the club finished sixth, 13 points clear of relegation.[5]
During the 1989–90 season, the club coached by former Sri Lanka national team captain, Pakir Ali, finished fourth in the league. PWD was also one of the initial members of the Dhaka Premier Division League in 1993;[6] however in 1994, they were relegated to the First Division – then the second-tier of football.[7]
In 1996, PWD were relegated to the Second Division after finishing bottom of the table in the First Division. In 1999, the club were promoted back to the First Division as unbeaten league champions with 39 points from 11 games, however, their stay only lasted a season, and were once again relegated to the Second Division.
The club kept dropping down divisions, and were relegated to the Dhaka Third Division League in 2005. The club returned to the Second Division as champions in 2009, determining their promotion before their final game of the season as group champions by defeating Tongi KC 1–0.[8] In 2014, after a gap of 20-years, the club returned to Dhaka's top-flight football league, the Dhaka Senior Division League – now serving as the country's third-tier. In their promotion campaign, the club coached by Arman Hossain, were runners-up in the Second Division, behind champions Bangladesh Police.[9][10]
Stagnation (2014–2023)
editAlthough PWD guaranteed their return to the top-flight of Dhaka in 2014, the Senior Division League was not held again until three years later, in 2017. Following their initial promotion, the league was held only three times, meaning the club would be inactive in domestic football for much of the decade.[11]
The club finished in third place in the 2021–22 Dhaka Senior Division League, behind Somaj Kallyan KS Mugda and Jatrabari KC, which initially meant they missed out on promotion to the professional second-tier league, the Bangladesh Championship League, by only two points. The club were also awarded with the Fair Play Trophy.[12]
Professional league (2024–present)
editIn November 2023, PWD announced that they would be participating in the 2023–24 Bangladesh Championship League, as the champions and runners-up of the 2021–22 Dhaka Senior Division League were unable to attain professional league club licensing, which opened the path to the third-place team, PWD, who successfully applied for the license.[13]
Current squad
edit- As of 1 April 2024
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Personnel
editCurrent technical staff
edit- As of 21 February 2024
Head coach
edit- As of 23 April 2024
Head Coach | From | To | P | W | D | L | GS | GA | %W |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Md Anwar Hossain | 21 February 2024 | Present | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 20 | 14 | 42.86 |
Honours
edit- Dhaka Second Division League
- Champions (3): 1957, 1984, 1999
- Runners-up (1): 2013–14
- Dhaka Third Division League
- Champions (2): 1956, 2009
Notable players
edit- The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for PWD Sports Club.
Asia
- Nabi Chowdhury (1957–58)[14]
- Abid Ghazi (1967)[1]
Other departments
editField Hockey
editPWD Sports Club has a field hockey team, which currently participates in the First Division Hockey League, the country's second-tier hockey league. The club gained promotion to the league in 2014 as champions of the Second Division Hockey League.[15]
Cricket
editThe club's cricket team competed in the Dhaka First Division Cricket League until the turn of the century. Most recently, in 2021, the team competed in the Summer Classic Cricket Tournament, where they reached the Super League round.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Mahmud, Dulal (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
- ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Monday 22 September 1958". p. 10. Retrieved 2024-08-24 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 23 September 1958". p. 12. Retrieved 2024-08-24 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Friday 26 September 1958". p. 11. Retrieved 2024-08-24 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "জাতীয় ফুটবল দলের সাবেক ষ্ট্রাইকার মুস্তাকের অকাল মৃত্যু". Kiron Sports Desk. 22 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Bangladesh 1993". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 February 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Bangladesh 1994". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
- ^ "PWD, Swadhinata promoted to Div II". The Daily Star. March 23, 2009.
- ^ "Four teams promote to 1st Div". archive.bff.com.bd. 17 February 2014. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023.
- ^ "বিসিএলে সাফল্যই আমার বাকি : আরমান হোসাইন". Daily Nayadiganta (in Bengali). 26 November 2023.
- ^ "DMFLC promises regular leagues". The Daily Star. January 10, 2017.
- ^ "Samaj Kalyan & Krira Prisad Mugda emerge champions". www.footballbangladesh.com. 26 October 2022. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "বিসিএল খেলবে পিডব্লিউডি ও ফরাশগঞ্জ". Daily Nayadiganta (in Bengali). 28 November 2023.
- ^ Dulal, Mahmud (2014). পাকিস্তান জাতীয় দল বাঙালি খেলোয়াড় (transl. Bengali players in the Pakistan national team) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon.
- ^ "Div II Hockey: PWD SC become champions". Bangladesh Hockey Federation. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "PWD Sports Club vs United Cricket Club UCC Lko Cricket Match". CricHeroes. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
Further reading
edit- Mahmud, Dulal (2020). খেলার মাঠে মুক্তিযুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war in the playground) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
- Alam, Masud (2017). ফুটবলের গল্প ফুটবলারদের গল্প (transl. The story of football the story of footballers) (in Bengali). Bishhoshahitto Bhobon. ISBN 9789849134688.
- Mahmud, Noman (2018). ফুটবল পায়ে মুক্তির যুদ্ধ (transl. Liberation war fought by football) (in Bengali). Agamee Prakashani. ISBN 978-984-8218-31-0.
External links
edit- PWD Sports Club at Global Sports Archive