Ganderbal, Jammu & Kashmir

Muzamil Mahmood from Gogjigund village lives and breathes football. There is nothing Muzamil loves more than imparting his love for the game to the students of the village primary school in Ganderbal district, Jammu & Kashmir, where he is a teacher and a football coach.

The 42-year-old school teacher holds an Asian Football Confederation licence, a coveted accreditation for coaches in the Indian football fraternity, and he works as a coach in national tournaments. But his first love is teaching young ones in his school to play football. He has established the Football Club (FC) Ganderbal.

The opportunities and support that he lacked in his childhood is what Muzamil is determined to provide to those who want to play football.

“I used to practise for hours in the local playground, and people would roll their eyes. Because, having a career in football was unheard of those days. There was no one to guide me,” he recalled.

And, that is why he is more determined than ever to be that guide and coach for others like him who dream of a career in football. “I would go on foot to Srinagar, twenty three kilometers away, so that I could practise in the playground there away from the scrutiny of disapproving eyes. There was no one in my village to guide or train me,” said the football coach.

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“At the FC Ganderbal, we train two age groups — Under 12 and Under 16. The students come either in the morning before school or after school hours,” he explained. Hundreds of children have learnt how to play and enjoy football through the FC, he added.

“I am very thankful to Muzamil Sir because at a time when young people are falling prey to drugs, he gave me the opportunity to stay clean and join his academy and work hard to make my future bright,” Fazil Yusuf a 16-year-old player at FC Ganderbal, told Gaon Connection.

“I have been training for two years and I have had the opportunity to play in other states as well,” Fazil, who is from Shallabug village in Ganderbal, added.

The football journey

Muzamil became a teacher at the Government Primary School in Ganderbal in 2002, where he taught English, but he was always inclined towards football. He won the Best Coach award for the promotion of football in Jammu and Kashmir in 2007.

Four years later, in 2011, Muzamil got the opportunity to visit Brazil, with the help of Juan Marcos Troia. Troia, an Argentine football coach, was in Kashmir from 2006 to 2012, coaching and scouting young talent in the state. That was when Muzamil met him, and through his good offices, went to Brazil for a month to do a course in coaching.

After returning from Brazil, he established the Football Club (FC) Ganderbal. “I feel very lucky to be a school teacher as well as a coach because my profession helped me to connect with different students and it also helped me to enhance my skills to motivate children to play football,” he told Gaon Connection.

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“My parents wanted me to tend to the family land. When I look back sometimes, it is astonishing for me that I survived those days when even my whole family was against me. But, eventually they realised that football was my mission and my passion,” the teacher and football coach smiled.

Muzamil became a teacher at the Government Primary School in Ganderbal in 2002, where he taught English, but he was always inclined towards football. 

Popularising football

Muzamil goes from school to school in the district to tell students about football. He even built a football team in his village school to play in inter school tournaments.

Junaid Javaid, a young footballer who trains at the FC said that they were lucky that Muzamil Sir taught them. “I don’t think that any other licensed coach like him would have chosen to train local children in a small village instead of being a national coach in a big city,” the 15-year-old from Gogjigund village in Ganderbal, told Gaon Connection.

Most of the time, Muzamil spends his school salary on buying uniforms, shoes, and kits for his students, many of whom come from economically weak families, or from families where they get no support to pursue the love of the game. He often does this by taking loans from friends.

“I spend every penny of my savings to promote this sport in my village and to encourage others to join me,” said the coach.

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“Even if I become an international coach, it will not change my love for the children of my village. My motive is not to earn money or fame but to promote football amongst the young people,” he added.

“When I started coaching at the club in 2011, there was just me doing the coaching and training, but now, three of my former students who I trained are coaches along with me,” the proud teacher said.

Muzamil believes that sports should be a part of everyone’s life. And his message for the people of other states is that they should visit Kashmir to see the talent of the young players so that they can invest their money for a good cause and open more sporting academies for the youngsters.