The Indian-administered Kashmir is widely regarded as the “heaven on earth”- for
its picturesque landscape dotted with magnificent valleys, beautiful lakes, rivers surrounded
by magnificent Himalayan ranges.
Kashmir is also the reason for an active territorial conflict primarily between Indian and Pakistan
and has witnessed three major wars between the neighbours and another limited war between
India and China since 1947. More than 1.5 million lives have been lost in the Kashmir
conflict since it's origination.
Amid all this football found feet in the beautiful valley and became the major sport of the region,
but, then came the insurgency in early 1990s, and football was among the many casualties
when Kashmir became one of world’s most militarized zones.
Although, the history of football in Kashmir dates back to the last decades of the 19th
century, when Cecil Tyndale-Biscoe, the founder of the Srinagar missionary school introduced
the sport to the region. It is said that when Biscoe first demonstrated the game at Central
Mission High School, Fateh Kadal, the students refused to play the game; the ball was made
of leather — a material Brahmins were forbidden to touch.
Despite the initial hesitation, football soon caught on and by the 1980s, Kashmir had a
vibrant local football culture, several players from the region even went on to represent
India. However, in the last few years, football in
the valley has grown significantly as people have started to reconnect with the sport,
finding solace in football amid the ongoing strikes, curfew, armed conflicts and heavy
military patrolling.
And one of the main reasons for this blooming football culture is Real Kashmir Football
Club, an Indian professional football club based in Srinagar, the capital of Jammu & Kashmir.
Their fascinating journey from bloody summer curfews to a snow-covered half season, has
already become a stuff of legend in India.
The seeds of Real Kashmir FC were sworn in 2014, when two friends - Shamim Meraj, the
owner and editor of a local newspaper, Kashmir Monitor and Sandeep Chatto, the owner of a
hotel, were looking for ways to keep youngsters entertained after a devastating flood hit
the region. The club took formal shape in March, 2016.
Four months later it was selected to represent the state in the prestigious 128th Durand
Cup during a massive civilian uprising following the murder of rebel commander Burhan Wani.
The club went to Delhi with a ragtag team which consisted of mostly semi-professional
local players. They played against prominent clubs likes Aizawl FC, Neroca FC, Dempo SC
and predictably ended up last. They scored four goals in five matches and conceded 14.
“We had no idea what goes into playing at that level. We were not prepared financially
or football wise,” said club president Meraj.
As the club turned their attention to the I-League 2nd division, the 2nd tier of Indian
national league,they got a manager in ex-Rangers, Aberdeen, Leeds United and Montrose player
David Robertson. The former Scottish international had also managed Elgin City and Phoenix FC.
In their first season in the league, Real Kashmir FC finished third in their group and
narrowly missed out to a place in the final round.
This was a humbling experience for Robertson and co. as they learnt that it would take
more than just one season to find their feet.
In their second season, the team from Kashmir achieved a remarkable feet by earning promotion
to the top-tier, winning the tournament without losing a single match.
The introduction of two new foreign players, defender Loveday Enyinnaya, and forward Yao
Kouassi Bernard injected some much needed experience into the squad.
Local boys, Muhammad Hammad, Danish Farooq and Ritwik Kumar Das were also crucial in
the team’s title hunt. Midfielders Danish and Ritwik were on the top scorers’ list,
while Hammad partnered with Loveday and Abhash Thapa creating the most solid defence league.
The title race continued till the last match of the tournament between Real Kashmir FC
and Hindustan FC as both needed a win.
On May 30, 2018, The Snow Leopards became the first team from Kashmir to reach the I-League..
With no assistance from the AIFF or the state government, both financial and infrastructural
limitations have been a part of their journey. The club had to rely on quiet support from
goodwishers and friendly crowd fundings.
The many amateur or semi-professional footballers of the club work as daily wage labourers.
During curfews, they must get through checkpoints before they can get to practice. During shutdowns,
they missed their games altogether. The one available stadium in their home state is shared
by other teams as well, so some practice sessions took place in neighbourhood parks that have
no goalposts, or even grass. Apart from that they also have to fight against the harsh
weather of the mountains.
The promotion brought some much needed attention to the club as they started preparing for
the 2018-19 I-League season.
On 31 October, 2018, Real Kashmir FC played their first ever I-League match at Tau Devi
Lal Stadium in Gurgaon, they defeated defending champions Minerva Punjab FC at their own turf.
The second decade of 21st century has seen a new dawn for football in the Valley. The
contribution of Real Kashmir FC to reviving football culture in the region, cannot be
emphasised enough. The TRC Turf Ground of Srinagar has become a platform for the people
of the region to showcase the real Kashmir, all achieved despite the backdrop of violence
and adversities.