The coveted Premier Division Football League is destined to lose much of its gloss following an ambitious plan of the Bangladesh FootballFederation (BFF).

The game's governing body of the country has recently decided to make the National League as a major event in the domestic calendar involving the top ten Premier clubs including giants Mohammedan Sporting Club, Abahani Krira Chakra, Muktijoddha Sangsad and

Brothers Union.

If the top guns in Dhaka football feature in the marathon National League then there is no chance for them to play in the traditional Premier League.

According to the planned new format 20 teams will compete in the home and away National League across the country and it will run for nearly seven months.

"We have already decided to change the whole domestic format in an effort to bring professionalism into the game. The present format is an outdated concept and we are trying to style our football like what other countries are doing," said BFF deputy secretary Monjur Hossain Malu to the reporters yesterday.

"We had a plan to launch it from this year but couldn't start because time did not allow us to shape the format. But we are adamant to get the new style league from next year," said a confident Malu.

Also secretary of the National Football League Committee, Malu informed that a club would only be able to compete in one league.

The breakaway competition means the traditional Premier League will turn into an event for lesser clubs.

"Our effort is to make the National League the jewel in the crown. No matter where football is played in the country every club will be aiming to win a place in the National League," hesaid.

"We will initially pick twenty teams for the two-tier competition but the selection procedure will be decided next month."