Once celebrated as the 'Sports Capital of India', Jalandhar is rapidly losing this prestigious title. The city was once home to premier sports facilities, including Asia's first government sports college and Burlton Park, which hosted international cricket matches and Ranji Trophy games until the mid-1990s.

However, the establishment of Punjab's second cricket stadium in Mohali in 1993 led to the neglect of Burlton Park.

This stadium, which witnessed an India-Pakistan Test match in 1983 and ODIs against England in 1991, has not hosted any domestic cricket events for years.

Currently, it serves merely as a practice venue for local youth.

A significant Rs 100-crore initiative proposed in 2009-10 aimed to transform the 70-year-old stadium into a sports hub, but this plan remains unexecuted.

Even Harbhajan Singh, the cricketer-turned-Rajya Sabha MP who began his career at this ground, has not managed to advance the project during his three years with Punjab's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The Government Sports College, established in 1961 under the vision of former CM Partap Singh Kairon, has produced notable hockey players like Surjit Singh and Harcharan Singh, as well as athletes such as Ishar S Deol and Jagdeep Singh. However, it has largely become a center for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in physical education and yoga.

A prominent athletics coach from Punjab expressed concerns, stating, 'These courses do not align with the current needs of our athletes. In 2021, AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal announced plans to develop this college into India's largest sports university. If they intend to follow through, they must first recruit top dieticians, psychologists, physiotherapists, and sports injury specialists, along with advanced equipment like hypoxia tents and vacuum treadmills.'

'The curriculum should also include modern subjects such as sports biomechanics and sports anthropometry,' he added.

Experts suggest that the decline of Guru Nanak Dev University, a 25-time MAKA Trophy winner, to third place is linked to the deteriorating standards of sports facilities and training in Jalandhar.

'Colleges affiliated with GNDU in Jalandhar, like HMV College and Lyallpur Khalsa College, have historically produced players for the university. This decline is where the problem began, and it has become a serious issue,' remarked a well-known sports enthusiast.

On a positive note, Jalandhar can still boast that four of the country's top hockey players hail from Mithapur and Khusropur villages.

However, Sansarpur village, once a 'cradle for Indian hockey', has not produced any Olympians since 1980.

Similarly, the Government Girls' School at Nehru Garden, which produced Arjuna Award winner Ajinder Kaur and Olympian Rajbir Kaur, closed its girls' hockey program in 2015.

'The only national-level event currently held in Jalandhar is due to the efforts of the Surjit Hockey Society, which has tirelessly worked to nurture players,' stated a veteran hockey player.

'Yet, much more is needed for hockey development. Jalandhar has three AstroTurf fields at Surjit Hockey Stadium, PAP, and Vajra Corps grounds, but all three are green instead of blue, failing to meet new international standards. This is another area where Jalandhar is lagging behind,' the veteran added.

Hockey Olympian and Congress MLA Pargat Singh emphasized that beyond infrastructure, there is a pressing need to focus on the available human resources.

'Studies indicate that the optimal age to develop a player's body coordination and agility is between 3-8 years. Once this window is missed, certain physical corrections become impossible. We have not even considered training that age group,' he concluded.