The Dhaka First Division Hockey League, the second tier of domestic hockey, is set to return after a three-year gap.
The competition was last held in 2023, while the Premier Division was staged in 2024. The ad hoc committee that took charge of the Bangladesh Hockey Federation after the political change later that year tried to organise the First Division League but could not overcome several difficulties.
At one stage, the league’s 11 clubs asked the federation for financial support of Tk 500,000 each. The federation was unable to meet the demand and the competition was not held.
The current ad hoc committee has now taken steps to bring the league back. Federation general secretary Ishtiaq Sadeque’s proposal to provide Tk 250,000 to each club helped resolve the issue. Sadeque was appointed general secretary of the new ad hoc committee in July 2026.
At the first meeting of the First Division League Committee at the federation office on Wednesday, representatives of all 11 clubs agreed to return to competition. The meeting was chaired by Harun-or-Rashid, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Division and chairman of the league committee.
The player transfer window will be held on 6 and 7 September, with the league scheduled to begin on 20 September. No foreign players will be allowed this year, with the federation aiming to give more opportunities to local players and identify new talent. The previous edition allowed each club to register two foreign players.
Each club will be allowed to sign a maximum of four players from BKSP and four from the three services. The league will be played in a single round-robin format.
The federation plans to stage the Premier Division after completing the First Division League.
