A three day football training camp was organised from 18-20 Apr 2022 at the Dawar helipad ground by the Indian Army for the young girls of the Gurez valley. The event was conducted in collaboration with J&K’s first female football coach, Ms Nadiya Nighat, and Principal Girls Higher Secondary School.
22 girls from different schools of the valley participated in the three day training camp in which they were taught the basics of football including warm up, basic foot work, ground drills and shooting. A friendly match was also conducted on the final day in which Real Gurez Football Club, which comprised the girls from Girls Higher Secondary School Dawar, won with a score of 1-0 against Gurez Football Club Dawar.
Ms Nighat has been a motivation for many girls in Kashmir as she broke all stereotypes and went on to participate in many national level football competitions and become the first female football coach from Kashmir. She has also received many national awards and has played for Don Bosco Club of Kerala in the Women’s Football League.
The event was organised with an aim of promoting sports and games for girls in Gurez and motivating them to pursue a career in the field of sports. The mere presence of Ms Nighat was a motivating factor for the girls of this remote area. A one day training camp is also being conducted at Baduab to motivate the girls of the Tulail valley.
It is being endeavoured that more such celebrities who have risen up from the grass root level be brought to Gurez to interact with the local youth in order to motivate them to strive hard for the development of the region.
