Bandipora academy promotes local football talent

The State Football Academy at the Shere Kashmir Sports Stadium in Bandipora district is brushing up the skills of young players of the area and is gearing them up for future crunches.

Around 200 budding football players from Bandipora District and neighbouring areas are getting professional training at this academy now. Previously, these football players had to travel to Srinagar for training. The academy does not only train boys, it also has special pieces of training for girls too.

"We will train them here and if they improve their skills, we will help them get absorbed in professional clubs outside the state", said Tahir Maqbool, Head Coach of the Bandipora Football Academy.

It is also reported that the budding players appreciate this step taken by the state sports council as it will help them in enhancing their sporting skills in the football game.

A player said, "Earlier there was no academy to enhance and nourish our talent. But now we are getting a great opportunity. Already three players of our academy have got greater places to play in and we hope that the number increases."

"We can now manage our studies with the game as this academy has helped us in solving our travelling issues," said another player.

This academy was started in September 2017 by the Jammu and Kashmir State Sports Council's football wing. It trains three age groups of Under-13, Under-15 and Under-18 years. So far 250 players have been selected and trained and the State Football Academy (SFA) intends to targets 5000 players across the State. The academy was also awarded a two-star rating by All India Football Federation (AIFF) which provides them with a berth to participate in major tournaments of National Level like Junior I-League, Youth League, IFA Shield Durand Cup etc.