Promoting Football in JK
By: Salman Ashraf Mir
Football is one of the most popular games in the valley with history that dates back to 19th century as it was first introduced in the region by C.E Tyndale Biscoe a Christian missionary around 1891 making its way into the echelons of the society.
In 1964 J&K Football Association came into existence and the region saw a golden period of football throughout the 60s and 70s with great fervour from the public as well. The turmoil in the late 80s and 90s saw the game go through a slump but didn’t lose its popularity as the game resurfaced again clawing its way back into the hearts in the 21st century.
In the last decade many events have unfolded which no doubt has changed the footballing landscape for good in the valley but still the game has not developed at the pace it should. A lot of untapped potential has been left in ruins courtesy of mismanagement, faulty administration and lack of vision.
A non-existent concrete youth development program is a matter of big concern and our centre of focus, as we look to understand how much impact has the creation of youth development structure and effective implementation of such programs help developed football in various parts of the country.
FIFA defines youth development as the comprehensive process of nurturing young football players to help them reach their full potential. This process includes not only improving their technical and tactical skills but also focusing on their physical, psychological, and social development.
FIFA emphasises the importance of creating an environment that supports the holistic growth of young athletes, ensuring they are well-rounded individuals both on and off the pitch. The goal is to provide structured, high-quality training and education to develop future professional players and promote the overall health and well-being of young people involved in football.
All India Football Federation AIFF has made youth development integral to its core vision as they see it being the main catalyst for the future of Indian Football. Many member states in India have taken a proactive approach towards youth development with the prime example being the exemplary work done by Mizoram FA. Mizoram FA has incredible initiatives like the Naupang League which comprises of various age groups such as U-6,U-8,U-10,U-12,U-14 .The League runs on week end structure with matches played mostly on school holidays such as Saturday Sunday.
Each team in every age group gets to play 33 competitive games in a season .Besides this they also have an MFL U-15 League, MPL U-17 League U-21 Developmental League. With just a population of over a million the state has become one of the factories of producing talent with reports suggesting it to be in the top 5 producers of professional footballers in the country.
Several other states such as Kerala Maharashtra Karnataka Meghalaya have also benefited by implementing such programs which have improved their performances drastically in national level competitions and producing talent . While these states some do have footballing culture some have carved a niche for themselves with effective organisation and realistic vision.
In comparison to these states J&K has been lagging far behind with a very weak youth football structure and a non- existent footballing calendar that caters to youth development.
While it must be highly appreciated the efforts of Sports Council Academy, Lonestar Kashmir FC, Real Kashmir FC, JK Bank Academy,Param FC ,Jammu United for fielding youth teams in various age group over the years and helping provide highest platform in youth football.
Post covid things have been worse as valuable time was lost which has led to stagnated growth of a lot of young aspiring footballers. There has been a swift decline in fielding teams in youth league competitions while the local domestic youth competitions are very miniscule in number which is very much insufficient in either helping player development or providing an appropriate platform.
This can also be attributed as a primary reason for below par performances in the national level competitions of various age groups including the Santosh trophy. The overall talent pool has shrunk sufficiently which has led to decline of the football quality and level in the region which is very much visible in the domestic leagues due to lack of exciting new talents that can take the league by storm.
There were no club or academy teams from J&K in the U13-U15 U17 I Leagues this past season. This period has led to a significant decline in popularity of football among the youth as the connection is missing due to lack of competition and involvement thus also giving rise to a new generation that is secluded from the benefits of the game which range from health to social development.
While there is no quick fix to this issue it’s highly imperative that all stakeholders of football in the valley come on the same page when it concerns youth development .A complete priority is to be given to creating an ecosystem that fosters the growth of young players and facilitates their development.
The burden of player development cannot be put on a handful of clubs or academies but a holistic support system is to be put in place that enriches these clubs and academies and many more. Schools are vital cogs to this process and have to be brought on board as serious stakeholders.
Every district and its stakeholders in the valley have to be effectively incorporated for a united effort .Personal differences have to be stepped aside for the greater good of the game. Conducting a single 3 week competition once in a year that serves more like a PR campaign will not do anything for youth football development.
Concrete steps have to be taken in order to revamp the footballing structure. It is encouraging to see numerous coaching courses being conducted in the valley which has raised the number of licensed coaches but until we don’t have a stable youth development structure there is no space for these young coaches to coach and grow. Until the ecosystem of youth development which is negligible won’t go under a drastic change the glory days of football in J&K will remain a distant dream.
(The author is a football management professional who has been working in football in various parts of the country and abroad in numerous roles. A gold medalist in management with over 10 years of experience working at the highest level of the sport)
