Budaun's Young Athletes in a Bind: The Coaching Void
Budaun, usually buzzing with excitement around cricket and kabaddi, is now facing a coaching crisis that’s harder to ignore. Walk by the local fields and you’ll hear plenty of leather on willow or the cheers of kabaddi matches—but look closer, and you’ll see that solid coaching is sorely missing. In a place packed with cricket academies and training centers, kids and teens eager for structured guidance often come away empty-handed.
Here’s the odd thing: infrastructure isn't the problem. There’s no shortage of nets, mats, or open ground. The problem is people—more specifically, the lack of skilled coaches. Families pay for memberships, hoping their children will receive expert training, but too often, it turns into a case of the blind leading the blind. Without experienced instructors, even the most promising players plateau early, stuck running drills they don’t fully understand or copying techniques from YouTube that might not work for them.
Kabaddi and Cricket: Dreams on Hold
This isn’t just a cricket problem. If you talk to the girls lining up for kabaddi practice ahead of major tournaments like the 2nd Women's Kabaddi World Cup 2025, you’ll hear the same story. The stakes here are higher, with national recognition within reach—if only the right guidance were available. But without seasoned mentors, local kabaddi teams find themselves unprepared for serious competition, relying on peer-led training or advice from ex-players who drop by once in a while.
Parents, too, are noticing the disconnect. Some have started sending their kids to bigger cities just to access better coaching—an option not everyone can afford. Others are frustrated, watching their children work hard but come up short when it matters because they aren’t getting the essentials of discipline, tactical learning, and strategy. Several young athletes who once dreamed of playing for India now talk about dropping their ambitions altogether.
The coaching crisis goes beyond local disappointment. It taps into deeper issues within India's sports system that national committees have tried—and often failed— to fix. From budget shortfalls to flawed hiring practices, the problems seem endless. In Budaun’s case, there’s been plenty of talk but little action from local sports authorities, who cite paperwork delays, staffing shortages, or funding issues. Players say these are just excuses, and call for real investment in their future.
For now, those who show up in the early mornings or late evenings keep honing their skills the best they can, hoping that one day, proper coaches will arrive to unlock their true potential. Until then, Budaun’s reputation as a breeding ground for cricket and kabaddi stars will hang in the balance—caught between passion and promise, with no trainers to bridge the gap.
