NADIYA NIGHAT : A PROUD INDIAN
24 year old Nadiya Nighat has defied all stereotypes to become the first female football coach from Kashmir. She is an inspiration for young girls in the Valley to get into the sports despite all odds. Nadiya, who draws inspiration from Christiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, has won 10 national and state-level awards in football and got trained to be a coach with the Jammu & Kashmir Football Association (JKFA). In 2015, she was also awarded the title of ‘Best Referee’ by the All India Football Association. Nadiya’s jersey number is JJ7, the same as Ronaldo’s jersey number and is also the name of her football club where she trains under-19 girls and boys teams.
It was not a bed of roses for Nadiya. She had to face a lot of criticism for choosing an unconventional career. “Initially, even my family wouldn’t support me. People used to pass comments on me when I would leave for football practice. But now my family, as well as people in my locality, have started supporting me” she said. Nadiya’s journey into football has been not less than a fairy tale. Once a cricket freak, Nadiya landed into the world of football because of her madness of trying to kick a tennis ball every time she played cricket with the boys in her locality. In 2007, while she was playing a random football match in her local area at Rambagh, she was noticed by an 80-year-old Football Coach Mohammad Abdullah. “The coach took me to Amar Singh College Academy and began my training there. I was the only girl among 47 boys” says Nadiya. Nadiya played her first professional match in 2010.
Nadiya credits her success to her coach, Muhammad Abdullah, who has helped her professionally and personally to grow as a competent footballer. A tough taskmaster, Nadiya is now training her 30 apprentices, including both girls and boys, at a football academy in Rambagh, Srinagar. She has been associated with a homegrown football club ‘Lone Star FC’ for the last two years and has been handling an important position of Assistant Coach for the club. She along with the team management has embarked on a mission to prepare the Lone Star FC to qualify for India’s prestigious I-League. People like Nadiya are role models for younger generations to look up to and their achievements will guide them to live their dreams.
