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.
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).
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