Coaches in Offices, Grounds Left Empty

 

Has Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Sports System Forgotten Its Real Purpose?

Musarrat Ullah Jan , KikxNow , Digital Creator

For years, claims about sports development, talent hunting, youth engagement, and medal-winning ambitions have been repeatedly made in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But the ground reality continues to raise a serious and uncomfortable question: if coaches leave the field and spend their careers sitting in offices, if new hiring is frozen, if daily-wage coaches are removed, and if many government-employed coaches retire without producing even a single notable athlete, then on what basis can anyone expect improvement in sports performance?

This is no longer just an administrative issue. It is becoming a structural crisis for the province’s entire sports system.

Across several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, many coaches are currently serving as District Sports Officers (DSOs), administrators, or in other office-based positions. Instead of spending time on training grounds, gyms, tracks, and academies, their routine revolves around files, meetings, paperwork, and administrative responsibilities. The result is obvious: grassroots coaching is weakening rapidly.

The question is simple. If coaches themselves are absent from the field, who will train the next generation of athletes? Who will guide young talent? And how can authorities later complain about poor medal performances when the foundation of athlete development has already been neglected?

In sports, buildings and ceremonies do not produce champions. Coaching does. A capable coach can spend years developing one athlete into a national or international competitor. Around the world, successful sports systems operate on coach-centered development models where coaches remain connected to athletes and are evaluated based on actual performance and results.

But in many parts of the province, the opposite model appears to exist. Coaches are increasingly becoming part of an administrative structure instead of a performance-based development system.

The most alarming part is that some coaches are now close to retirement after spending nearly four decades in service, yet they have failed to produce even a single prominent athlete. This is not merely an individual failure. It reflects a collapse of accountability within the system itself.

A basic question needs to be asked: was their performance ever evaluated properly?

Did anyone ever examine how many athletes a coach produced during his career? How many players reached national camps? How many won medals? How many represented Pakistan internationally? Or was the system only concerned with attendance, postings, salaries, and office adjustments?

The situation becomes even more serious because fresh recruitment has almost stopped. Many young and qualified coaches exist across the province, but they are not being given permanent opportunities. For some time, the gap was partially filled by daily-wage coaches. These individuals worked on the ground with athletes despite low salaries, job insecurity, and limited resources.

However, many of these daily-wage coaches have now reportedly been removed from different districts.

This decision does not only affect employment. It directly damages the future of sports development. When a young coach spends years working in uncertain conditions only to be removed without stability, while no replacement system exists, the message is clear: the profession offers neither security nor recognition.

The problem has therefore become two-sided. On one hand, permanent coaches are sitting in administrative offices. On the other, the people actually conducting field coaching are being removed. The result is empty grounds, inactive academies, and declining athlete development.

This is why many districts now appear to have only paper-based activity. Reports may mention camps, trials, seminars, and events, but the actual impact on athlete performance remains missing. In several places, there is no regular coaching structure, no sports science support, no fitness planning, and no long-term athlete development system.

Another uncomfortable question must also be asked: what exactly are the priorities of the sports authorities?

Is the objective to build athletes or simply maintain administrative control?

No province or country becomes a sports power through press conferences, photo sessions, ceremonial events, or official statements. Sustainable success comes from consistent grassroots coaching, talent identification, athlete grooming, and long-term planning.

Yet the current structure appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Experienced coaches are sitting behind desks. Young coaches face insecurity. Athletes are left without proper guidance. And the system continues to produce more paperwork than performance.

There is also a serious operational issue. If assigning coaches to administrative posts is unavoidable, was any replacement coach appointed in those districts? Was there any assessment of the coaching gap created by those transfers? Did anyone measure whether sports performance improved or declined afterward?

Unfortunately, many decisions appear to be driven more by internal adjustments than by functional sporting needs. That is one reason why coaching structures in several districts have nearly collapsed. Some sports are disappearing simply because trained coaches are no longer available.

The damage is not limited to elite competition. Weak grassroots coaching affects the entire youth system. When young athletes do not receive proper training and mentorship, they gradually lose interest in sports altogether. Many stop viewing sports as a serious pathway or career.

This is especially concerning in a province like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has historically produced talent in squash, hockey, weightlifting, athletics, martial arts, and several other sports. The province has never lacked natural talent. What it increasingly lacks is structure, continuity, and serious investment in coaching.

If the current situation continues, performance levels may decline even further in the coming years.

The government and relevant authorities need to take immediate corrective measures:

Conduct a province-wide audit of all coach postings.

Review the performance records of coaches serving in administrative roles.

Separate coaching responsibilities from administrative management.

Develop a transparent policy regarding daily-wage coaches.

Restart fresh recruitment for qualified coaches.

Introduce measurable performance evaluations for every coach.

Publicly track grassroots coaching hours and athlete development outcomes.

Without these reforms, “sports development” will remain limited to speeches, meetings, and press releases.

The reality is straightforward.

Files do not produce athletes.

Offices do not win medals.

And no sports system can survive without real coaching on the ground.

#KPSports #SportsGovernance #GrassrootsSports #CoachingCrisis #TalentDevelopment #PakistanSports #SportsAdministration #YouthDevelopment #SportsPolicy #AthleteDevelopment #SportsReforms #KP #SportsManagement