For children of Manipur and Mizoram, football is a way to prosperous future

Nestled amid the undulating hills and verdant valleys of northeast India are two states that cherish a football culture which is as magnificent as the landscape. Despite their relatively small populations, Manipur and Mizoram have, for more than a decade, produced the highest number of footballers to play for India at various age groups.

This success can be attributed to several factors, including a deep-rooted passion for the sport, robust grassroots development programmes and a supportive community that nurtures young talent from an early age. In these regions, football is more than a game; it is a pathway to a prosperous future away from antisocial activities. It unites communities, offering hope and inspiring dreams of glory in remote regions where opportunities are scarce.

As the evening clouds play hide and seek with Mizoram’s mountains, children kick the ball around at the Beck’s Academy in Tanhril, a few kilometres from Aizawl, the capital city. “I want to become a footballer and support my family,” said 13-year-old Lalhmingmawia, who lives with his single mother and 16-year-old sister.

Lalhmingmawia, a class-topper and avid Real Madrid fan, is a self-assured boy. He is well aware of his talent, and while he dreams of becoming a footballer, he is determined to work hard and pursue a career in the police force if football does not pan out. His mother, Lalthakimi, said: “His confidence comes from his football practice. Football has made him a sensible child.” The same was echoed by other parents, who consider football academies safe spaces.

The Beck’s Academy, headed by FIFA C licensed coach Ananad Gurung, has produced many young players who went on to train at the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) Academy in Mumbai.

“In Mizoram, everyone wants to play football,” said Gurung. “But it’s not possible for everyone to be footballers. I keep them motivated. We teach them discipline and manners. These kids learn how to wash their clothes and shoes. They learn to practice their religion faithfully.”

The academy is one of many such entities in the state training football talent. Legends like Mama (Shylo Malsawmtluanga) and Jeje Lalpekhlua, and current stars like Lallianzuala Chhangte and Apuia (Lalengmawia Ralte), are all products of such academies.

The Mizoram government acknowledges the state’s football culture and potential. The Mizoram Football Association (MFA) and RFYC jointly organise the Naupang League, a grassroots football initiative. In its first season, over 1,500 children (U-5 to U-13) competed across Aizawl, Kolasib, Lunglei and Champhai districts for seven months.

Lalnghinglova Hmar, minister of state for sports and youth services department and president of the MFA, told THE WEEK that the future stars from the state would be at “higher levels” than even Chhangte, the Mizo Flash. “We produced players earlier as well when we didn’t have much facilities,” he said. “Competitions like Naupang League are now giving children exposure at a very early age.”

The minister emphasised the state’s senior leagues as key talent sources. ISL and I-League scouts monitor the Mizoram Premier League and the First Division (tier 2). The government allocates significant sports budget to football, with plans to enhance infrastructure through PSUs and private companies.

This systematic structure is a recent phenomenon. “Mama introduced professional football in Mizoram and Jeje took it to another level,” said John Zothansanga, a journalist and an author of Savun Hampuar: The Mizoram Football Story. “They demonstrated that football could be a pathway to prosperity and a secure future.”

However, even before the meteoric rises of Mama and Jeje, football in Mizoram was a way of life, literally. The state has weathered the storms of a turbulent past, marked by armed rebellion and a troubling drug epidemic. In response, the churches―the soul of Mizoram’s close-knit communities―championed football with the hope of keeping youth away from drugs and violence, offering the beautiful game as a path to purpose, camaraderie and redemption.

Additionally, Aizawl FC’s triumph in the 2016-17 I-League had a significant impact. The club’s owner, Robert Romawia Royte, described Aizawl’s success as a win for all of Mizoram. “We are deeply committed to grassroots development, with academies spread across the northeast,” he said. “We had an academy even in Myanmar at one point.”

Royte, a former sports minister, helped improved football infrastructure by installing many astroturfs, including at Kolasib district’s Regional Sports Training Centre, one of two residential football academies run by the Mizoram government.

As the sun begins to tint the morning sky with shades of orange, young footballers in Kolasib’s academy rise, at 5:45am, to the sound of their alarms. After a glass of milk and a packet of biscuit, they hit the field for two hours of practice. They return for their evening training at 3pm, after school.  Once the evening session is over, they do their homework, play guitar, socialise, or go to the gym. Before lights are turned off at 9pm, most read the Bible for inspiration. It motivates them to reach their goal of making their community proud. In the words of 14-year-old Sebastian Vansangkima, a Manchester United fan who fell in love with football at four: “I want to play for Mizoram and make my family and state proud.”

Lalruatdika, Vansangkima’s 14-year-old friend at the academy, has the same goal. But, like most of the other children dreaming of a football career in Kolasib and across Mizoram, he has a personal reason, too. “My father is a carpenter; I want to become a footballer and earn enough money to support my family,” he said. Today, the children can sow the seeds of such lofty dreams because they have seen their seniors earning the dividends for all the effort they invested to become professional footballers.

And, it is not just the superstars who thrive. Football is a beacon of hope even for those who do not ascend to the illustrious heights of Chhangte or Apuia. Consider Isaac Vanmalsawma. An alumnus of Kolasib’s training centre, he has played for the senior national team just once and has not been a regular for his clubs in the last two ISL seasons. Yet, football has provided the 28-year-old a comfortable life. His exotic two-story house, overseeing the mountains at Durtlang on the outskirts of Aizawl, stands as a tangible manifestation of what the young footballers of Mizoram dream to achieve.

Vanmalsawma reflects on the transformative power of being selected for the academy, describing it as a gateway to a life of discipline and purpose. “Only a few become professional footballers,” he said. “But, the values that the academies instil in us stay with us. Students are regularly taken to the church and we make friends for life.”

A study by Richard Hood, former head of player development at the All India Football Federation and a UEFA A and AFC Pro licenced coach, analysed the number of Indian players and their playing time in the ISL, the I-League, and the senior, U-23, U-20 and U-17 national teams between 2002-03 and 2022-23. The study revealed that Mizoram, which is ranked 30 out of 36 Indian states and Union territories for population, contributes 13.41 per cent of players in the top two divisions and national men’s teams. A remarkable ratio, but only second―because Manipur is first.

The state, which is ranked 25 for population, contributes 17.58 per cent. According to the study, Manipuri footballers have accumulated the highest playing time, totalling more than 3.98 lakh minutes. Footballers from Mizoram come second with more than 3.03 lakh minutes.

The two states are connected by geography and their common interest in football, or perhaps, more fittingly, their culture of football. The densely forested hills of northeastern Mizoram extend to Manipur. Most of these hilly regions are inhabited by tribal communities.

Amid the ongoing ethnic conflict, football in tribal areas has suffered. Ngamgouhou Mate, a Kuki player from Manipur, led the U-16 India team to victory in the SAFF Championship last year. Alongside him were 15 others from the state, including 11 Meiteis and one Meitei Pangal (Manpuri Muslim). Sadly, many players could not fully enjoy their success.

Mate, Bharat Lairenjam, Levis Zangminlum, and others from Manipur, now in India’s U-17 squad, not to mention former India U-17 captain Korou Singh Thingujam who is now impressing in the ISL aged just 18, underline the state’s football achievements. The All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) has played a pivotal role in this success story.

Thangjam Ibotombi, the technical coordinator of the AMFA, told THE WEEK that the Kuki players were being missed by the state’s football setup. “They are our main warriors,” he said. “Since the conflict, we haven’t been able to name any Kuki footballers in our state teams. We try to keep in touch with them and guide them as much as possible. That’s the least we can do.”

Despite challenges, the AMFA is dedicated to football development through its Blue Cubs programme in central Imphal. Children start training at seven or eight, with promising players advancing and joining state teams by ages 13 or 14 to compete in U-13 and U-15 leagues.

The AMFA is also training 23 children displaced by ethnic conflict, including 12-year-old Zenith from Leitanpokpi, Imphal East. He now lives with his family in a one-room home made of asbestos sheets in a settlement for internally displaced people on Imphal’s outskirts housing over 50 families.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Zenith, a diehard fan of Lionel Messi, wants to improve his family’s fortunes. “I started playing football in 2022 after watching it on TV,” he said. “I want to play for India.” The AMFA initiated the Blue Cubs programme to involve displaced children in football.

The association also organises the Manipur State League, including I-League clubs like NEROCA FC and TRAU FC, alongside top local teams. The Manipur Premier League and the AMFA Cup also generate revenue, supporting football development in Manipur.

There are many private academies across Manipur that identify and nurture football talent at various levels. The Classic Football Academy in Imphal, the most renowned youth training centre in Manipur, produces the state’s best talents. Six of the 14 Manipuri players in the U-17 India team are from the academy.

TYDA, a residential football academy in Bishnupur, focuses on grassroots development with leagues for U-7, U-9, and U-11 players. Many Manipur academies compete here. Malemngamba Singh Thokchom from TYDA is a U-20 international and Danish Singh was named player of the tournament at a La Liga youth tournament in Malaysia.

Dhiren Singh, the founder of TYDA, said his vision was to produce professional footballers who will play for India. “This year, we plan to participate in U-13, U-15 and U-17 AIFF Youth Leagues,” he said.

Meanwhile, the academy operated by NEROCA in Imphal’s Sangakpham offers an exemplary stand against the ongoing ethnic tension. Situated on a small and muddy field nestled between a church and a temple, this academy offers children more than just football training; it provides a powerful visual lesson in living harmoniously with diverse faiths.

In Manipur, football is viewed as a thriving industry, drawing substantial investments, including from prominent players. Former India international Renedy Singh leads the Classic Football Academy, while former Mohun Bagan player Sagolsem James Singh runs Poloi Football Academy. ISL player Tondonba Singh has invested in an Imphal-based academy managed by his brother.

“Since the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in India in 2017, when India had many players from Manipur, football has become way bigger than what it was earlier,” said James Singh. “Now even parents encourage their children to play football. Football keeps children fit and healthy. Even if they don’t make a career in football, they can join the Army and other government services.”

The Manipur government also sees football as an industry where investment can lead to positive growth. Phulendra Kumar, the sport director of the government of Manipur, told THE WEEK that there were 45 players from Manipur in the ISL and over 100 in I-League clubs, and Services and Railways. “These players generate a revenue of more than Rs15 crore a month,” he said. “Football is a human resource industry in Manipur. The government provides Rs3 lakh each to every state league club, Rs50-60 lakh to I-League 2/3 clubs and Rs1 crore to clubs playing in the I-League. The government is planning to build one astroturf football ground in every assembly constituency. It will build a residential football academy which will have the capacity to accommodate 300 students.”

Undoubtedly, Manipur serves as the cradle of Indian football. The state emphasises coaching development through AIFF, AFC and FIFA licensing programmes. With international training, these coaches play a crucial role in enhancing Manipur’s ability to identify and nurture talented footballers.

If yesteryear stars such as Renedy and Gourmangi Singh offered a fleeting glimpse of the boundless potential football held for Manipur, today, that vision stands realised through the brilliance Udanta Singh, Jeakson Singh and Naorem Mahesh Singh. And, they are but the brightest stars in a galaxy, which also has the likes of Tondonba and Soraisham Dinesh Singh, who are yet to wear the senior team national jersey and secure a regular spot at ISL clubs. As in the case of Vanmalsawma, football has already given them and their families a life of prosperity.

These players, however, are shaping destinies beyond their own. Tondonba’s academy, for instance, has sown the seeds of hope among many in Sangakpham. “He knows the taste of success in football and so he wants our children also to make a good living through football,” said Tondonba’s brother Ngasepam Tomarjit Singh, himself a pro footballer. His mother, Sharmila Singh, joins us in their new, under-construction house adjacent to their old shanty of tin and asbestos. “Both my sons play football and the sport has now blessed us enough. The brothers now want to do something for the community,” the proud mother said.

Sharmila stands as a shining testament to the many mothers of Manipur and Mizoram who quietly wove dreams for their children through the threads of sacrifice. Time and again, they set aside their own dreams to ensure their sons and daughters could chase the promise of football.

“The football academies give our children a sense of community and belonging,” said 48-year-old Boinu, the mother of 12-year-old Vanlalruata, at the Beck’s Academy in Mizoram’s Tanhril. “Football instructors motivate them to study and stay away from drugs and social media. This guidance in their cognitive years will help them in their physical and mental growth.”

The combined playing time of footballers from Manipur and Mizoram―more than 7 lakh minutes, as per the Hood study―nearly matches the combined playing time of footballers from the next three states (West Bengal, Punjab and Goa). As per AIFF records, more than 7,000 players from the two northeastern states have renewed their registrations across different age categories. It seems India’s football factories have no intention of slowing down.