ECO 455 RESEARCH REPORT PREPARED BY: SYED ANWAR SHAMS 083413020 NOWFEL ABU EUSUF 083397520 FOOTBALL IN BANGLADESH FACULTY: DR. A.F.M. ATAUR RAHMAN DATE OF SUBMISSION: 18.08.2011

NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY ACKNOWLEDGMENT First of all, we would like to thank the almighty Allah for giving us the Knowledge to conduct the entire research for this course. Then we definitely thank our respected faculty member (Dr. A.F.M. Ataur Rahman) for making us familiar with the precise process of making a quality research report through his scholastic Guidance. We would also like to show our gratitude to the following people, who have been extremely helpful till the completion of the entire research report, They are the beloved Family members, especially the parents who have given us all the love and support. It’s never possible to complete any task without their blessings. Our respondents for taking the time to fill out the Questionnaires for our research report. They showed valuable interests during the survey which also helped us to heighten our confidence. The authors and web publishers for letting us use all the information that we have incorporated as our secondary sources. We would also like to show our appreciation to North South University for giving us the knowledge and also for granting us access to the resource premises and print out some of the Questionnaires that we have needed. We also are thankful to those of our friends who always have been giving us mental support till now. Finally, we must not forget to acknowledge our Computers/Printers and thank them for not breaking down during the preparation of the entire report. Nowfel Abu Eusuf Syed Anwar Shams. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement……………………………………………………………..…….2 Executive Summary……………………………………………………………..…..3 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………...………..5 1.1 Hypothesis……………………………………………………………………6 1.2 Aims & Objectives…………………………………………………………...6 1.3 Literature Review.............................................................................................7 2. Research Methodology…………………………………………………………...8 2.1 Methodological Approach……………………………………………….....8 2.1.1 Qualitative Versus Quantitative Approach………………………………8 2.2 Research Design………………………………………………………….…9 2.2.1 Selection of the Samples……………………………………..…………..9 2.2.2 Selection of the respondents…………………………………………......9 2.3 Research Procedures……………………………………………………....10 2.3.1 Collection of Data………………………………………………………10 2.3.2 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………...10 2.3.3 Preparation of the Questionnaire…………………………………...…..10 3. Primary Data Analysis…………………………………………………………11 4. Secondary Analysis 5. Limitations 6. Conclusions 7. Bibliography 8. End of the report

1.0 INTRODUCTION The main objective of the research is to find out the factors behind the unpopularity of the domestic football franchise against the developed foreign football franchise. It is quite inevitable that in Bangladesh, Cricket has asserted its dominance among all sorts of Sports that are known in our country; hence its overwhelming presence in the eyes of Bangladeshi people has shadowed the domestic Football. It is apparent that in Bangladesh, there are many factors involved in highlighting the backbone of any sport. Success of the Bangladeshi Cricket Team is a prime example because it shows how the media pursues them just because of their initiatives that enhanced the national pride many times in the World Cup Tournaments. However, much achievement by the National Football team is yet to be seen by the eyes of our people. Participations of National Players in the major global tournaments are rarely seen; this could be also one of the factors which has plummeted the popularity of the domestic Football. As we have carried out the surveying process, various answers were obtained from the respondents that show why the football sector of Bangladesh is underdeveloped and what could be done in the future to improve the quality and popularity. They have expressed their own views regarding this situation during the Survey and we performed extensive analysis of all their critical responses in this matter. They have also stated the reasons for not viewing the Bangladeshi Football. Some of them are: 1. Quality of Football is not up to the par level of Foreign Football. 2. Lacks Glamour. 3. Football is not attractive. Many more of their opinions will be highlighted as the analysis is carried out.

1.1 HYPOTHESIS By considering and going through vast amount of information for the research, we have tripped over numerous factors that have definitely helped us to opt for a narrowed down statement with respect to the answers we are looking for our Questions. Not all the factors are attributable but some of them are extremely important for considerations, so therefore, prior to the analysis, we have generated our hypothesis for the research. Our statement of the problem is that; the unpopularity of Bangladeshi football kept prevailing simply because of the Lack of Participation by the Nation Players in the Global Tournaments. When we are talking about the Global Tournaments, we speak of the following that apply. They are: 1. World Cup, 2. AFC Challenge Cup, 3. AFC Asian Cup (National Level) 4. AFC Champions League (Club Level) We have not included South Asian Football Federation because it is limited to the South Asian Nations only. 1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The main idea of the research is to primarily find out the why the Unpopularity of the Bangladeshi Football is taking place. We think that this is a very important question and also a curiosity arousing one. This is because; Bangladeshi people are watching foreign football franchises almost every week but some of the intransigent football fans fail to name even the most popular Bangladeshi Football Players. As researchers, even we only have a glimmering idea about the Bangladeshi Football Franchise. Hence we believe that carrying out this research would definitely provide some useful answers which may provide incentives to do further research in the future. 1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 METHODOLOGY Here in this section we discuss about the methodological approach that has been chosen to carry out the research work. We will also discuss about the research design, research procedure i.e., how we have collected the data and why. We provide all these information to the readers in order to attain their understanding of each part of our entire study. 2.1 METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH A research can be conducted following different approaches. Moreover, different approaches are suitable for different research work depending upon their nature. Here in this part we try to describe what approach we have chosen to conduct our study and why we have chosen such type of approaches. 2.1.1 QUALITATIVE VERSUS QUANTITATIVE APPROACH Qualitative approach is suitable where the researcher has only a rough idea about what he/she is looking for. This type of approach is mostly used in the earlier phase of the study. Here the researcher is the person who gathers the data in the form of words, pictures or objects etc. through participant observation, in depth interview etc. Qualitative data is rich but it is time consuming to collect them. On the other hand, the quantitative approach is suitable for those types of studies where the researcher already knows or has a clear idea of what he is looking for. To conduct a research following quantitative approach the researcher collects data using questionnaire or survey in the form of numbers and statistics. This type of approach is used during the later phase of the research work. To conclude from the above discussion we can say that we have followed both the qualitative and the quantitative approaches. As we have used questionnaires to collect data, used statistical tools to analyze them and from the starting point of our study we had a clear idea of what we were looking for we have been following a quantitative approach. On the other hand, we have followed the qualitative approach because we have developed strategies using the existing theory and empirical evidence. 2.2 RESEARCH DESIGN In this part we discuss about what samples we have chosen to find the answers of our research objectives and what are the reasons behind selecting those samples. 2.2.1 SELECTION OF SAMPLES Our sampling technique was JUDGEMENTAL since we have only selected the football fans for our research.

2.2.2 SELECTION OF THE RESPONDENTS Our selection of samples was done in such a way that each one of the football fans watches or follows football/football related events at least once a week.

2.3 RESEARCH PROCEDURES In this part we will be discussing about the chosen procedure of collecting data and the data analysis. We also will explain the procedure that we have followed to prepare the questionnaire. 2.3.1 COLLECTION OF DATA We have collected data from the primary and secondary sources. The secondary data are collected from various sources such as magazines and reports obtained from the articles published related to football. We have also used internet, journals as the source of our secondary data. Besides, we have collected primary data through the questionnaires. 2.3.2 DATA ANALYSIS We have tallied up the responses for each one of the questions and calculated the proportions distributed for each of the answers. 2.3.3 PREPARATION OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE For the purpose of our study we have prepared a questionnaire consisting of 17 questions including one open-ended question. This questionnaire has been pilot tested and necessary modifications have been made.

4.0 PRIMARY DATA ANALYSIS (FROM QUESTIONNAIRES) 4.1 On a club level, which domestic competition(s) do you follow?

Over here we can see that majority of the respondents went for Barclays English Premier League and Spanish Primera Liga. For the other sections contained the following Clubs: * Italian Serie A * German Bundesliga * Bangladesh Football League. So it is apparent from the Pie Chart that only English Premier League and Spanish Primera Liga are the only two most popular clubs to exist.

4.2 Please specify why you follow the competition(s) mentioned above (one or more):

Majority of the fans selected English Premier League and the Spanish League because they think that only those two clubs play and show Attractive Football (51%) to the crowd. Some of the respondents have also believed that they watch football simply because of their favorite Football players’ presence. To conclude, the responses to this question simply tell us that Attractiveness Implies quality.

4.3 Do you follow any of our domestic Competitions? * YES (22%) * NO (78%) This is one of the most important questions in the survey. Over here we can see that almost 80% of the respondents do not even watch our domestic league. Of those who don’t watch the domestic league, they have also expressed their views for not watching it. The analysis of the next question shows the causes. 4.4 If you answered NO to question 4, please state why (One or more reasons):

Majority of the respondents who do not watch the domestic league stated that they find the Bangladeshi football Un-Attractive. We can see from the bar chart that majority of the proportion has been distributed for “Unattractive Football”. If we take a look at the 2nd Question from our survey, we can see that respondents watch the foreign football leagues because of the Attractiveness it exposes. So there is a cross match between these two questions which provide some valid results. * Again, from the analysis we can identify that quality is one of the main reasons * Also there is an equal proportion of respondents stating that the main problems are: * No participation in global tournaments, mainly the world cup * South Asian Football tournaments do not have the same appeal * Also, lack of familiarity with the national team players is a problem * Popularity and familiarity with national team players trickles down to the domestic level * Following particular players subsequently leads to following the clubs they play in, evident in the international stage * David Beckham is now playing for Major League Soccer. After he started play ing for them, the club became popular to such a degree that now even the British football fans are now watching the American Major League soccer.

4.5 What development do you believe is required to develop the domestic Competitions and attract people towards it?

Out of the 100%, Majority of the respondents, i.e. 24.10% of the respondents think that Quality of the football should be improved. That is followed by more Media Exposure which is about 23% of the total percentage; then comes better broadcasting, which is about 20%. The last two of the strategies are Participation in the Football World Cup and Domestic Clubs in AFC. Minority of the respondents think that the Ticket prices should be lowered down. Therefore, quality is one of the main reasons for foreign franchises trumping out domestic franchise. In addition, media exposure and better broadcasting are required for the Development.

4.6 What, according to you is the driving force behind the popularity any of sport in the country? Over here, we can see that about 60% of the total respondents believe that “Media & Broadcasting” and “World Cup Exposure” are two of the main thriving force behind the popularity of any sport in the country. As for Bangladesh, the media plays a vital role in influencing the perception of the people. So the results of this question are pretty much valid and have been justified in Reality. * Blaza Klemencic: "The popularity of sports depends on its presence in the media" * One of the best mountain bikers in the world * Media undeniably important in modern generation, can manipulate and drive audience’s focus in desired direction * Participation in global tournament and media exposure highly linked. * In Bangladesh, the media only follow those who enhance the nation’s pride.