Inter-school hockey tournament begins with 32 teams

Srinagar, Jun 2: With an aim to restore hockey’s presence in schools and nurture young talent, the Alpha Inter-School Hockey Tournament began in Srinagar on Monday, featuring 32 teams from government and private educational institutions across Kashmir.
Organised by Badal Hockey Club in collaboration with sponsors and with support from the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, the organisers said that the tournament marks the return of a major inter-school hockey competition after nearly three decades, organisers said.
Speaking on the occasion, Joint Secretary of Badal Hockey Club Kuldeep Singh said the initiative was launched to take hockey back to schools and create opportunities for young players to engage with the sport.

“Hockey at the school level had almost disappeared over the years. Through this tournament, we are trying to revive interest in the game and provide a platform to budding players from both government and private schools,” he said.
Kuldeep said Badal Hockey Club has been actively involved in promoting hockey since its establishment in 2009 and has been providing free coaching to children since 2019. He said the club offers training, equipment and uniforms free of cost to aspiring players.
He added that senior players associated with the club were sent to participating schools in advance to train students and introduce them to the basics of the sport.
“The tournament features 32 teams from government and private schools and is being played on a knockout basis. The competition began on June 2 and will conclude with the final on June 11,” he said.
Kuldeep said the winning team will receive a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh along with a trophy, while the runners-up and second runners-up will be awarded Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively.
Kuldeep said the club had earlier organised tournaments at the club level, but this is the first time it has conducted a large-scale inter-school event to strengthen hockey at the grassroots level.

Speaking on the occasion, Health and Education Minister Sakina Itoo, who officially inaugurated the tournament, said the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is committed to creating more opportunities for young people to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.
Joined by Secretary Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council Nuzhat Gul, she said that over the past one-and-a-half years, the government has been working to strengthen sports infrastructure and provide platforms for youth to showcase their talent.

“Our children should be given every opportunity to play and excel in sports. The government is paving the way for them and creating avenues where they can develop their talent. Today’s hockey tournament is an example of these efforts, and we will continue to provide such opportunities to the youth in the future,” she said.

Participating students expressed enthusiasm about the tournament, saying it provided them with a valuable opportunity to compete, learn and showcase their talent.

Among the participants, Sohail, a striker representing his school, expressed excitement about competing in the tournament. He said he had been preparing for the event for the past two to three months and was looking forward to representing his school on a larger platform. Calling it his first experience of playing in such a tournament, Sohail said the opportunity to compete alongside teams from across the Valley was a motivating experience. “We are very excited to play on such a stage. It is the first time that schools have come together for a tournament like this,” he said.