Khel Gaon Nagrota: 9 Free Sports Academies Now Open to Young Jammu Athletes

Here's some rare, unambiguously good news for sporty teenagers in Jammu: the Directorate of Youth Services and Sports (DYSS) has officially opened nine 'Academies of Excellence' at the sprawling Khel Gaon sports complex in Nagrota — and elite-level coaching there will be entirely free of cost.

If you've ever been decent at a sport but felt there was no clear path from a school ground to serious, structured training, this is exactly the ladder that has been missing.

Nine disciplines, professional coaching

The academies launched with nine sports: Taekwondo, Athletics, Hockey, Football, Kabaddi, Volleyball, Badminton, Wrestling and Fencing. DYSS has handpicked experienced physical educators with proven, discipline-specific expertise to lead each one — Atul Pangotra (Taekwondo), Harvinder Singh (Athletics), Jagjit Singh (Hockey), Rohit Kumar Gupta (Football), Sanjeet Kumar (Kabaddi), Naresh Kumar (Volleyball), Sanjay Khajuria (Badminton), Dheeraj Kumar (Wrestling) and Ujjwal Gupta (Fencing).

All newly deployed coaches and officials were directed to report for duty at the Sports Complex, Khel Gaon Nagrota, on 20 July, marking the day the academies became operational.

Open to every district — and it won't cost you

The most important line for young athletes: the gates are open to passionate, talented players from all districts of the UT, and the training is free. Anuradha Gupta, Director General of Youth Services and Sports, framed the initiative as an elite coaching framework designed to spot and sharpen genuine talent rather than a facility reserved for a lucky few.

That matters in a place where, too often, the difference between a talented player and a trained one has come down to whether a family could afford private coaching. Removing the fee removes the biggest filter.

Trials are coming — get ready now

DYSS has said it will issue a detailed schedule for selection trials in the coming days. If you want a place, the smart move is to prepare before that notice drops:

• Pick your discipline honestly — the one you're genuinely good at, not just the one your friends are trying.

• Rebuild your base fitness now so you peak at trial time, not after it.

• Keep documents handy — age proof, domicile and any past competition certificates usually help at selection.

• Follow official DYSS channels so you catch the trial dates the moment they're announced.

Part of a bigger sports push

The academies sit inside a much larger build-out. Khel Gaon in Nagrota is being developed as a multi-sport hub across roughly 170 kanal, with facilities spanning athletics, hockey, volleyball, badminton, a cycling track and more. It's one piece of a wider effort — officials have pointed to hundreds of sports infrastructure projects underway across J&K worth several hundred crore — aimed at giving the region's youth a real, homegrown route into competitive sport.

For a 15-to-25-year-old in Jammu who has quietly wondered whether their game could go somewhere, the answer just got a lot more concrete: a professional coach, a proper ground, and no fee standing in the way. Keep an eye out for those trial dates.

Sources: Rising Kashmir; Greater Kashmir; Kashmir Reader.