Tral’s Rising Stars: Sports Academy Shapes Champions and Healthy Futures in J&K In the quiet town of Bajwani in Tral, Jammu & Kashmir, the Sports Academy is turning young athletes into national medal winners and inspiring a culture of fitness. Coach Feroz Ahmad trains boys and girls from ages 5 to 30, guiding them through months of rigorous practice to develop both skill and discipline. Students like Ziya Zaroshan and Faizan Waseem credit the academy for medals, self-defense skills, and a path to careers through sports quotas—all while keeping them physically fit and away from phone addiction. Ziya Zaroshan, a female student practices sports at Sports Academy Tral in Jammu & Kashmir.
We have a practice session for 1 hour everyday and I practice there. Ziya said that she has participated in many competitions and bagged many medals too. Since 2017 we have given many National Players, said Coach Feroz Ahmad at Sports Academy Tral. He said the students comprise from age groups 5 to 30. We give them different trainings. In our starting training, we watch for five to seven months to see the abilities of children whether they are able to perform in fights. In the beginning participants come for physical fitness. But if they continue to practice sports then they can utilise the skills to clear sports competitive exams or geth through jobs via sports quota. They will become physically fit and along with it there is a chance of employment. To reach that level, there is a lot of competition today and children have to face tough challenges. Faizan Waseem, a student said that in 2024 he had won a silver medal. I would like to suggest one thing that if you want to stay physically and mentally fit then enter sports. There are a lot of benefits for the girls and boys too. One big problem today in both girls and boys today is phone addiction. It can reduce by joining sports. There are a lot of benefits in sports for every age category, said Faizan Waseem.
If you enter this field at a young age, then it is very good. When you sweat, then it is good for the heart. Talking about Coach Feroz Ahmad, student Faizan Waseem said his passion and dedication is high-level. He supports all the players so much that we do not need our parents. I am grateful to my Coach and all the players who have supported me in this endeavour, said Faizan Waseem. Coach Feroz Ahmad said in Tral in the Education and Sports platforms, we see many success stories. The children are progressing. Another young female student Fiza Ameen said she practices in the Tral National Sports Academy. She is eager to enter national competitions and win medals for herself. Coach Feroz Ahmad said that students come from far flung villages and perform at the National level. There are many students who have won gold, silver medals and working on the basis of sports quota. We come here to learn self defense which is very important for girls, said a female student. I will try to perform so that I can enter National and International level competitions and win medal for myself. Sports keeps us physically and mentally fit and away from bad habits, said a girl student. In this ground, different sport activities are taking place. Tral is no longer the same as before; a lot of changes will be seen now, said the Coach in Tral, Jammu & Kashmir.
