Srinagar: The game of hockey is widely gaining popularity among Kashmiri girls, and local authorities of the Valley are doing their bit to further encourage this trend.
Kashmir Hockey Academy, with support from the Jammu Kashmir Sports Council, is organising different hockey tournaments for these female hockey players to help them improve their game. Moreover, the girls are getting special training from professional hockey coaches.
The participating players appreciated the efforts of the academy in giving talented female players a platform to showcase their skills.
Hadika Jan, one of the hockey players, believes that the Valley is filled with talented youth who just need a platform to showcase their talent. She further stated that the tournaments being organised are helping them get exposure to the game.
“Youth here is very talented. But they need a platform. They can shine like stars and walk on skies. They just need a platform to showcase their talent. We get exposure and in future, we will also get a chance to play tournaments on district and state level,” she added.
Another player, Bareekha Bhat, said that such tournaments help to boost their confidence and give them an opportunity to take the name of their state forward.
“Such tournaments should be held frequently so that we can take the name of Jammu and Kashmir forward. Girls are no less than boys. We need a platform to prove our abilities,” Bhat said.
Reflecting on the hockey tournaments, organizer Harminder Singh said that their main motive is to revive the sport among girls in the Valley. He further stated that they are planning to take the level of the game ahead by giving more opportunities to the girls.
“Our main motive was to revive girls’ hockey in the state. We succeeded as well. Last year, we started an academy admitting both boys and girls. We have around 300 kids,” Singh said.
“Moto was to take hockey forward. Due to some unfavourable conditions, we could not take it forward but this year we are planning to up the level of the game in the game by coming up with more opportunities,” he concluded.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]