# Bangladesh Championship League

Bangladesh Championship League (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ চ্যাম্পিয়নশিপ লিগ), simply known as the BCL and officially ABG Bashundhara Bangladesh Championship League since 2023 for sponsorship reasons, is the second-tier professional football league of Bangladesh run by the Bangladesh Football Federation. It was founded in 2012.

## History

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.

## List of winners

Champions so far are:
| 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 | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh | Competition cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh |
| 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 |
| 2023–24 | Fakirerpool Young Men's Club | 14 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 27 |

## Performances by club

As of the end of 2023–24 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 |
| 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 |
| Fakirerpool Young Men's Club | 2 | | 2015–16, 2023–24 | |
| Dhaka Wanderers | | 1 | | 2023–24 |

## Stats and players
### Top Goalscorer

| Year | Player | Club | Goals |
| 2012 | Toufiq Hasan Gofur | Agrani Bank SC | 12 |
| 2013 | Nabib Newaj Jibon | Uttar Baridhara SC | 12 |
| 2014 | Nurul Absar | Rahmatganj MFS | 11 |
| 2014–15 | Mohammed Palash | Arambagh KS | 7 |
| 2015–16 | Arifur Rahman | Victoria SC | 6 |
| 2017 | Ariful Islam | NoFeL SC | 12 |
| 2018–19 | Amirul Islam | Bangladesh Police FC | 17 |
| 2019–20 | League cancelled | League cancelled | 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 |
| 2023–24 | Rafayel Tudu | Fakirerpool YMC | 12 |

## Clubs and locations

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:-
* Bir Sherestha Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Dhaka

## Sponsorship

Here is the list of sponsors of BCL since its inception:
| Period | Sponsors | Type of Institute | Notes |
| 2012-2014 | Premier Bank Limited | Bank | At first season, Premier Bank Limited sponsored the title, Destiny Group was the co-sponsor of first season. |
| 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. |
| 2015-2017 | RB-Marcel Group | Electronics | They sponsored seasons: 2015/16 and 2017. |
| 2018-2019 | International Sports Partner | Distributor | TVS brand is the 'title sponsor' as well as of BPL. |