Football in J&K………….…….. A 100-year journey

बी: आबिद गोव्हर

The game of Football has taken its birth in J&K in the year 1895-96, when Mr। Tyndale-Biscoe (served in Kashmir 1880-1948 AD), the founder of mission school in Srinagar introduced this game for the first time in his school. It is also said that the players of the school ( mostly the Kashmiri pandits) initially avoided to touch the ball with their hands, thinking that by doing so, they may get polluted as the ball was made of leather. Mr. Biscoe the shrewd instructor allowed the boys to have their own way in playing the game till they learnt its fundamentals and developed interest and taste for the game. It took Mr Biscoe almost a decade to get the game properly introduced in the State in 1908.

Narrates “C.E Tyandale-Biscoe” in his , Log Book- 1945

“ To touch leather was a great sin. It can't be touched. Hence Football was impossible. It was made possible on account of the sleeves of their outer garment so that a football made of 'wicked leather' could be held with the sleeve covered hand and kicked with a wooden shoe (clog).

Before I touch on football just think of the players wearing wooden clogs, and how they shoot up in the air as the players tried to kick the ball. Also they were a trifle dangerous to the faces of their opponents.

Football commenced within five minutes after I had given the order for the centre forward to kick off. This boy had a bigger coat than I have ever managed to sport, and he was a married man withal. I fancy all the boys in the two teams had wives at home and some possessed children. This brave fellow so scandalized the community that he was not allowed to enter his home for three months. Some forty years later a certain Bishop of the Church of England heard of my wickedness in forcing natives to play football and wrote a long letter on the subject condemning my action. Now I happened to be visiting this bearded old boy on his death bed and told him of the sympathy of the Bishop for him. He said, "Please let me answer this letter to the Bishop Sahib." He did so. In short, he told the Bishop Sahib how thankful he was to Padre Biscoe Sahib who made them Play the game of Football, and how this game had not only helped him to be a MAN but also many of his fellow country-men. I fancy that was his last letter before he passed on to the fuller life.

It has been Thirty-Seven years in persuading them to interact with a Football freely”.

So the year 2008 is a Centenary year of J&K Football.

The game of football in the early twentieth century in J&K particularly in Kashmir had many urchins as, to touch leather was a great sin and players were using sleeves of their outer garment (Phirns) to touch a leather ball and the ball was being kicked by wooden shoe (clog) or ball of cloth pieces was made use of in play.

The British stationed in Srinagar and contributed much in the development and promotion of the game in the state. Mr. Macan Mara, the then director of Sericulture department and Mr. Throps and then Dy. Director made a team in Sericulture department that in course of time became one of the top football teams of the State.

Mr. Young Hardow, the proprietor of the Hardow Capet factory formed a British football team in which British officials working in telegraph office Srinagar were included. Mr. Ross, the then Electric Engineer of

the State was also among the players of British football team. British soldiers posted at Rawalpindi were being brought by the British team for play of matches at Srinagar. This had a good effect of promotion of the game in the state, as players by watching game of these players would learn technique and style of game. Friends club, J&K Police,

Eidgah Club, and Suliman team of Dalgate were some of the top local football teams of the State during 1910-1920. The prominent and popular players of friends club were Mr. Gh Rasool Wadera (Captain), Mr. Gh Ahmad Batkhoo, Habib Bakshi,Mohd Shaban Shera, Mohd. Ali and Mr. Prasad Ram. Eid-Gah team was sponsored by Mr. Habib Kadoo, the famous wrestler of Kashmir.

The S. P. College Srinagar has contributed much in promotion of the game in the state. The college team was first football team of Kashmir which went to play outside the state in the year 1932 in the Punjab University Football tournament played at Rawalpindi. It was a unique experience for Kashmiri players to play outside the state with bear feet with opponents having boots on. During the regime of Maharaja Hari Singh, the game of controlled by DIG Police as its Chairman and Prof. Gani Ram (Prof. of Mathematics S.P.College) as its organizing secretary. Two tournaments were played in the valley. One Raj Tilak tournament being played in Spring Season and 2^nd Circle Tournament played in Autumn.

After partitioning of the country in 1947, the control of the game in Kashmir was taken up by the Kashmir Olympic Association in Kashmir Province and by Jammu Olympic Association in Jammu Province. It was at its control till 1964 when J & K Football Association came in existence and it become the Governing body of the game after getting the affiliation of All India Football Federation.

The first State Football team for participation in the National Championship for Santosh Trophy was sent to Assam in the year 1964 with Shri S. A. Hamid as Captain and Shri Nand Lal Bakaya as its Manager. The Association hosted Annual General Meeting of AIFF in 1968-69. The Association introduced League Football Tournament for “A’ Division in the year 1972 and “B” Division League in 1979. The Association by the year 1985 established District Football Associations in all the 14 districts of the State.

The entry of turmoil in the State in 1989 witnesses all ends of life including all sports activities in the State frozen till 2001, when few senior players carrying the pain of Football try to rejuvenate the old passion of the game and in revival of many things around managed to hold State league championship after a gap many years. First time in the history of State Football, group-one matches of Second Division National Football League 2003-04 were organized in Srinagar in April 2004. It also proved an opportunity for budding talent of the State to witness top-level different State League champion teams in action in the State. Meanwhile JKFA general elections were held in September, 2004 and the present Executive body got elected replacing nineteen year old executive body of the Association (framed last in 1985).

Santosh Trophy Football चम्पिओंशिप-२००८, A Curtain Raiser

By: Abid गोव्हर (स्पोर्ट्स Journalist)

Football game’s big bonanza and most prestigious National level championship “Santosh Trophy” is at the helm to begin from 25 May,2008 at Srinagar and Jammu. It is only for the second time that the State is hosting this mega football event and that too after thirty years (last being hosted in 1978). The championship is being organized by the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) under the auspices of All India Football Federation (AIFF), the apex body of the game in the country, and will last for 22 days, comprising 52 matches among 31 State teams including the host J&K and Services team. This will be a much anticipated tribute to the State Football and its organizing Body JKFA, keeping in view that for last two years, the State government as well as the Association had been putting havoc efforts to get the mega Football show in the State.

It made blissful news for all the game lovers, late last year, when AIFF finally break the jinx and decided its next place as Srinagar and Jammu by expressing satisfaction over the infrastructure and other preparations. In 2006, JKFA was initially given a call to hold the 61st Santosh Trophy, but unfortunately the decision was reverted back (later allotted to Haryana), stating proper infrastructure concerns and delay in its preparations by the state agencies.

The Santosh Trophy is the Indian National State Trophy which started in 1941. The trophy was donated by the Indian Football Association (IFA), the parent body of Bengal football, in the memory of late Maharaja Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhary of Santosh (now in Bangladesh). It is as prestigious national level tournament as Ranji Trophy and Dilip Trophy is for Cricket and because the State is more prolific in this sport than all others games over here, there is a special significance in hosting the event and that too after a long span and in revival of many things including the much awaited normalcy in the State.

The concerned apex Body of the State (JKFA) has pulled its socks up and is on the toes in making all the preparations for the forthcoming event. The Association has made a special organizing committee in this regard with its President Zameer Ahmad Thakur to act as Organizing Secretary with two Assistant Organizing Secretaries, one each from Kashmir and Jammu Divisions namely S.A. Hamid for Kashmir and Shiv Paul Sharma for Jammu. Both Kashmir and Jammu wings of the Association are being high alerted to make the necessary arrangements for the smooth conduct of the tournament.

The thirty one participating teams are divided into eight groups to qualify for the last sixteen i.e. Pre-quarterfinals excluding the four top teams of the previous edition. The four teams that have been given direct birth to the quarterfinals are Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra and Bengal. The eight clusters for the 62^nd Santosh Trophy are:

CLUSTER V	CLUSTER VI	CLUSTER VII	CLUSTER VIII
Karnataka	Haryana	Chhattisgarh	Meghalaya
Uttar Pradesh	M. Pradesh	Railways	Goa
Jharkhand	Assam	Mizoram	Uttrakhand
-	-	-	-

CLUSTER I	CLUSTER II	CLUSTER III	CLUSTER IV
Tamil Nadu	Services	Delhi	J&K
Bihar	Manipur	Tripura	Pondicherry
Chandigarh	Orissa	Gujarat	Daman & Diu
Sikkim	Nagaland	-	H. Pradesh

Pertinent that Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andaman & Nicobar State teams are not participating in the tournament due to certain conflict within the respective Associations.

The venues for the 22-day long Championship will be Govt. Gandhi Memorial Science College Jammu at which twelve cluster matches and a pre-quarterfinal will be played from 26^th May to June 1^st, Polo-ground Srinagar hosting nine cluster matches and a pre-quarterfinal from 26^th May to June 2^nd and Bakshi Stadium Srinagar in which twelve cluster matches, two pre-quarterfinal, twelve quarterfinal, two semi-finals and the final will be played from 25^th to 15^th June. All the three grounds are being equipped to the national standard for which preparations are in full swing under the observation of AIFF officials, who are, these days, making frequent visits to these grounds.

Worthwhile that JKFA is also planning to go on-line before the start of the championship in launching its web-site that will carry daily up-dates of the tourney including rich content for having a world-vide view of its activities.

(The author can be emailed at agowhar6@gmail.com)

Three decades old State Physical College in miserable condition- Now offers M.P.Ed

Srinagar/ “No food when it is lot needed and no need, when it is present in lots”. This is like happening with a professional college “Government Physical Education College Ganderbal” most neglected among all professional /educational institutions by the State government. For last many years when the college was struggling to get a post-graduate course introduced, it never succeeded and now when it is struggling to get rid of manifold problems and encroachments, it gets a call for introduction of a two-year M.P.Ed course.
Masters degree in the physical education has been authorized and approved by University of Kashmir vide notification No. F(Intro-M.P Ed) Acad /KU dated 09.01.2008, which was publicized by the college vide notification No:COPE/GBL/758-760 dated 16.02.2008 according to which all the B.P.Ed, fresh and in-service aspirants can submit their admission forms up to Feb. 27, 2008 at University of Kashmir for getting admission in newly introduced two-year post-graduate in physical education called M.P.Ed, For acquiring the masters degree or higher qualification in the subject, degree students of the State had to otherwise go to other States of the country.
The only Physical College of the Sate was established in 1976, initially at Naseem Bagh campus of Kashmir University at Hazratbal and later shifted to its present location, Ganderbal in 1986. Earlier the college was offering Certificate course in physical education and then as soon as it was shifted to Ganderbal, a degree course was introduced first time in the state.
Situated 20 kilometers to the north
of Srinagar, on the right banks of Nalla-sindh, under the dense shadows of Chinar trees, the college was offering one year post graduate course in Physical Education till yesterday with the annual intake capacity of eighty students, which earlier was only fifty. The university is likely to increase its intake capacity to ninety from this year with the introduction of Masters Degree (MP Ed).
The present agony with this Institution is that its space has got squeezed since government Degree College was introduced in its premises in 2003.The students of twin college indulge into the Physical college premises area due to which its area got squeezed by trespassing of degree college students in the practical fields resulting undue interference in the practical training. The college was initially spread over 400 kanals of land whereas presently only 250 Kanals are in possession. The staff strength of the college is forty including six lecturers, two specialists, one qualified coach and one lady warden. “We need two more lecturers by introducing new M.P.Ed course and urgent government attention to get the degree college vacated from our premises” Says young Dr. Hartej Singh Bali, Principal of the College. Dr. Hartej has completed his BP Ed from this very college in 1986, from the first batch that completed the degree from the State and has done Masters from Punjab University Chandigarh. Dr. Hartej has done his M.Phil on the subject “ affect in the job role of physical teachers during turmoil in the State” When asked about the qualification needed to get admission in BP Ed, Dr Hartej said that although a graduate in any discipline with sports background, played at least one National, can apply, those simple graduates can also be entertained who can qualify physical, sports efficiency and different skill tests. “We receive 300-400 applications every year in the month of Feb-March which gets scrutinized by Department of youth services and sports (DYSS) for the selection of candidates in 60:20 ratio in respect of fresh and in-service candidates respectively” said Dr. Hartej.
He further reveals that the main purpose of the college is to produce physical education teachers which can serve in schools to impart proper physical and sports education among students so as to help in building a healthy and characteristic future of the nation.
Of late Rashtriya Riffles 5th battalion has agreed to provided financial assistance in building a sports stadium for the college at Gadoora village, five kilometers away from the college and the government is planning to shift the whole college to that place for which JKPCC is likely to undertake the five crore rupees project to build the new infrastructure for the college at the proposed 300 kanals land at Gadoora Ganderbal. But how long it will take to implement the future plans, no body knows.
Whereas the students from all over the state are coming to this college which is felt already remote by the students, its forceful stretch to a more remote area will fetch more difficulties for the aspirants. Being a boarding college with co-education, the college is not providing facilities of its standard to the students. They face shortage of power supply and drinking water, having no heating arrangements, they feel cooler in the buildings which are shadowed by age old chinar trees and there are no adequate reading rooms or a library with sufficient reading material. The college seems in a miserable condition, less cared by the concerned authorities and hardly managed by its young and energetic staff, the advent of a higher education course will add to its worries and a louder cry will be heard by the every concerned with more bitter noise.
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