By Faria Bhat
SRINAGAR– Kashmir has experienced a surge in football fervour in recent years, as young footballers and spectators are coming together to celebrate the beautiful game. Many local football clubs and tournaments have come up, and the government is also focusing on developing the required infrastructure for the aspiring local players.
In 2023, several tournaments were held in the Valley, including 71st BN Mullik All India Police Foot-ball Championship, 19th J&K Police Martyr’s Football Tournament, Kanwal Gold Cup Football Tournament, Punit Balan Army Football Tournament, CRPF Football Cup and U-14 Grassroots Football Tournament.
Srinagar hosted these tournaments involving dozens of teams from different states, with J&K Sports Council, Department of Youth Services & Sports and J&K Football Association playing pivotal roles in organising and hosting the events.
In addition, many pro leagues are regularly held in the valley, such as the Srinagar Premier League, Sri-nagar Super Division League and the Srinagar A Division League.
In 2014, Kashmir got its first exclusive football stadium with an all-weather synthetic turf. This was followed by the emergence of many new clubs including Real Kashmir Football Club in 2016, which went on to win the Indian Football Association (IFA) Shield in 2020.
In November 2023, the government ordered the construction of three new synthetic turf football fields including a FIFA approved football stadium in the Valley, which are planned to open by early 2025.
In recent years, the success of local football clubs and players on the national stage has inspired many youngsters to pursue their dreams in this sport despite the challenges.
Syed Mohammad Ali Rizvi is a 20-year-old footballer who aims to compete in the ISL, the highest tier of Indian football. He has played in prestigious football tournaments like the Senior NFC for Santosh Trophy, which is a leading men’s national football championship in India. He said these national-level experiences have contributed significantly to the development of his skills as a football player.
“Football is gaining a lot of popularity in Kashmir, and this is creating a plethora of opportunities for young players,” Syed said. “It is encouraging to see that national-level clubs are now conducting trials in Kashmir, thereby affording local players the opportunity to compete alongside top-tier players from other regions. Moreover, local clubs have provided a platform for players to train and play in competitive matches, which is fostering a holistic development of players in the valley.”
Asrar Mushtaq, a 21-year-old footballer who plays for the Srinagar Premier League champions Downtown Heroes, has also competed in a national level tournament, the Durand Cup. He says the experience of playing at the national level was mesmerising and memorable for him.
“At the age of 12, I was inspired by my friends who were already playing football, and I decided to start playing, too,” Asrar said. “I love football, and representing J&K at the national level is a great achievement for me. Football in Kashmir is on the rise, with state leagues and grass¬roots tournaments growing in num¬bers as well as in competitiveness.”
The growing enthusiasm for football among Kashmiri youth has resulted in many pursuing the sport from a young age. Taasif Bilal, a 16-year-old footballer, is currently playing for the prestigious football club, Real Kashmir FC.
“My favourite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo, and I aspire to follow in his footsteps,” Taasif said. “My dream is to play in the ISL someday.”
Huzaif is another young football enthusiast who dreams of becoming an international football player. He predicts that football will soon be the most popular sport in Kashmir surpassing cricket.
“I became interested in football during my 3rd grade years,” Huzaif said. “Watching my peers play the sport always left me in awe. Eventually, I registered with JKFA and played in several local matches. My goal is to play at the national and in¬ternational level.”
The J&K Football Association has been pivotal in ensuring the foot¬balling events are played regularly. Chief coordinator and former chairman JKFA Wasim Aslam has led the efforts.
“Not only boys but girls are also actively participating in football,” Wasim said. “We have girls from the valley who are playing in the senior, junior, and sub-junior categories. We have sent women teams of under-14 sub-junior junior, under-16 junior and senior categories for the nationals in recent times.”
The J&K Sport Council’s football academy and Football School for young footballers have added to the game’s popularity.
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