JAMMU: Secretary J&K Sports Council, Nuzhat Gull, today called on President All India Football Federation, Kalyan Chaubey, and Secretary General, Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran in New Delhi to discuss the roadmap for accelerated football activities in the Union Territory of J&K.
Secretary, while elaborating on people’s love and passion for football in J&K, said that the overwhelming public presence at TRC Football Stadium to watch Real Kashmir FC play indicates their deep urge for vigorous promotion of this world-famous sports in the UT. There is a huge need of boosting the frequency and quality of football events here, she added. She said that the main purpose of this meeting is to work out strategies for restoring the pristine glory of this potential game in J&K which has enjoyed a numero-uno status for a long time.
She added that since AIFF in its ‘Vision 2047’, plans to develop football across the country and take Indian Football forward, J&K Football too aspires to reach its zenith. She hoped that AIFF will lend all possible help in this direction.
Nuzhat Gull informed that almost every district has a football stadium and more than fifty-plus stadia have a high mast lighting system and this year hundreds of matches were played across the union territory in the late hours. Citing an instance of the Industrial Cup held in the apple town of Sopore in North Kashmir, she said that a tourney like that turned into an alternate source of entertainment and since sports have a lot of community impact, we saw the number swelling with each new event.
Kalyan Chaubey, President AIFF, giving details of the meeting, said that there is no dearth of sports talent in J&K and we are committed to working with the stakeholders in the region to bridge the gap between the dream and realization. “We would work earnestly towards ensuring that the game and its infrastructure in the region grow to a stage where competitions could be conducted at all the levels,” he added.
Discussions were also held on hosting National team camps, and capacity building of human resources in terms of referees, and coaches for both youth and grassroots level players, especially for women footballers.
Dr. Prabhakaran said, “since the Government of India has already taken a lot of sporting initiatives in J&K, AIFF will also chip in for the cause. He said that AIFF is also contemplating a possible MoU with the J&K administration to help build capacity in the local system and take the game forward in the UT.” He hinted at a possible announcement of this partnership in the month of March this year.
Connecting the links between Football and J&K, the tweet posted on the handle of President AIFF read, “The electrifying event of FIFA World Cup 2022 Qatar, had threads of pashmina shawls as souvenirs by the Indian artisans. He had also posted a picture of him receiving one such souvenir from the Secretary Sports Council, Nuzhat Gull.
It was informed on the occasion that efforts are being made to host the senior or youth national team jersey national camp for 2-3 weeks in J&K this year.
