Jammu’s decline in Football
*No Khelo India Centre for Football in Jammu
Ranjit Thakur
JAMMU, Jan 1: In order to revive the lost glory of football in Jammu region, the veteran football players have urged the Government to enhance the sports infrastructure facilities and boost investments in coaching.
It is quite surprising to learn that Jammu, which was once the center of football, is now facing a struggle for survival. Sources said currently, there is only one professional football coach, who has been appointed as the Manager of Mini Stadium Parade Ground, responsible for overseeing all operations. Dearth of professional coaching has a detrimental effect on the development of young talent and the overall growth of Football in Jammu.
There is no dedicated Khelo India Centre for Football in the heart of Jammu, despite the fact that there are five centers for the sport in Hiranagar, Reasi, Udhampur, Poonch and Doda. However, none of these centers have professional football coaches and centres have been run by instructors.
“Once upon a time, Jammu was the center of football, where countless national and international players made their names and fame for their country,” stated Ashok Sharma, the former Treasurer and Chairman of the JKFA’s selection committee. “But, over the past few years, the standard of football has declined for various reasons. To improve football from the bottom up, we want Government to invest in grounds, coaching staff, and infrastructure,”
“Jammu is not equipped to host any national or international football events owing to the standard and quality of the grounds in the current infrastructure. There is no changing area or seating arena at Mini Stadium Parade which was recently converted into an exclusive Football ground by set up artificial turf. In addition, the field is also not completely illuminated by the ground-mounted lights,” he continued.
“I recently met with the Secretary of the Sports Council, Jammu and Kashmir and apprised her about the issues by presenting a memorandum of demands. Among the main demands, we want installation of artificial football turf in Science College Ground, following the design of Mini Stadium Parade Ground. This will allow us to create more space for Jammu’s football players. We have got a positive response from the Secretary,” he added further.
Another veteran football player Rakesh Khanna told Excelsior, “The standard of football in Jammu has declined in recent years not only because of lack of infrastructure, but for other reasons too. If we go back to the days of 25 years back, while we were playing, the grounds were not so good but the quality and standard of football was very high, people used to buy tickets to see matches, but now I feel pain to see empty ground during tournaments.”
“Delay in elections of Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA), the tussle between stakeholders and dominance of Kashmir over Jammu are some of the other reasons that football in Jammu is unable to rise. Now, we want young people to run the affairs of JKFA for the betterment of football,” he added.
Former Indian player and member of Technical Committee of Football Federation of India, Arun Malhotra said, “It is time for Jammu’s football to take a new turn. We must give it a new start both at urban and rural levels, and work toward a shared vision of football development across the province,”
“Due to lack of infrastructure and absence of experienced professional coaches, we lag behind. AIFF has many events and courses which could help in overall development of Jammu’s Football but without a proper JKFA body it won’t be as impactful as it should be,” he added.
He said lack of professional clubs is another main reason because of which Jammu’s Football is lagging behind. Corporate houses and other institutes should come forward for the revival of football clubs.
A senior official of Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council (JKSC) told Excelsior on condition of anonymity that there is no Khelo India Centre in Jammu particularly for Football but we do have centers in other five districts. “There is a dearth of football coaches but we are soon recruiting candidates to fill up the vacancies. Though we have improved our infrastructure in recent years, it’s also evident that shrinking areas in the city is a major concern to create more space for football aspirants. Although we are putting in all efforts to develop more football grounds in Jammu,” he added.
However, Secretary, Youth Services and Sports (YSS), Sarmad Hafeez told Excelsior, “we have not received any grievance regarding lack of Football infrastructure in Jammu region. We are equally developing both the regions as per infrastructure requirements.”
“With the installation of artificial turfs, we have upgraded several football fields in the Jammu region recently, and more will be built soon. Even in the most isolated corners of the region, Khelo India Centers are invaluable in helping to develop sports. Additionally, we are offering local mentors the opportunity to coach up-and-coming talent.
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