On 9 March 2014, the Mizoram state football team created
history when it beat Railways in the final of the Santosh Trophy in
Siliguri, West Bengal. In the process, it became the second northeastern
state after Manipur to lift the coveted title.After producing
some of the country's finest footballers in the last decade, the Santosh
Trophy victory lent further credence to Mizoram's status as one of the
best footballing states in the country. More success has followed for
the state since that triumph. Aizawl FC lifted the 2nd Division League
title earlier this year to become the first club from Mizoram to qualify
for the I-League.
The
state's progress in the last decade has been phenomenal. The fact that
almost every I-League club has players from Mizoram in their squads, is a
glowing endorsement of the state's progress in the game in recent
years
Things,
however, were quite different at the turn of the century. Despite the
state being home to a football-loving populace, Mizoram languished in
footballing ignominy for a long period of time. It all changed when a
diminutive winger named Shylo Malsawmtluanga signed for East Bengal in
2002.
The impact of Shylo Malsawmtluanga on local football
At
first glance, Mama, as Malsawmtluanga is fondly called, hardly looks
like the footballing father-figure that Mizoram knows him as. He is
short, shy and barely speaks a word. On the field, however, he is a
fierce competitor. When Mama moved to East Bengal in 2002, thereby
becoming the first player from Mizoram to play for a top-flight club, he
sparked a mini-revolution in Mizo football.
Within the next three years, he went on to win the national league title twice with the
Red-and-Golds,
as well as the 2003 ASEAN Cup, while managing to keep a regular place
in the first team. The pacy winger's success at the national level
became a source of inspiration for many.
"Since graduating from
the Tata Football Academy in 2001, Mama has enjoyed tremendous success
at the national level. In his initial years, almost every Mizo who had a
TV at home, would tune in to watch Mama play. That was the impact he
had. He inspired a generation of youngsters to take up the sport," says
Puia, author at online Mizo football portal
ZoFooty.
Mama
has enjoyed success at different I-League clubs over the years. The new
generation of footballers from Mizoram call him as 'the Godfather'.
Lalrindika Ralte, one of the state's most prominent players in recent
years, once
admitted
that such is Mama's influence over the younger players of the state,
that the latter approach him even in matters relating to finance.
Grassroots football
While
Mama's success helped a great deal in furthering football's case in
Mizoram, the state's focus on grassroots football in recent years has
also played a major role in its elevation in the domestic football
scene. Mizoram was the first Indian state to undertake the grassroots
program initiated by the AIFF, and in 2013, the Mizoram Football
Association (MFA) was awarded the Best Member Association award by AIFF
for running the best grassroots program in the country.
All India
Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das summed it up
best following Mizoram's Santosh Trophy win in 2014: "Mizoram Football
Association is a great example of how a state association should be run.
Very often, state FAs complain of lack of funds. The same applies to
Mizoram FA as well, but they have proved time and again that it has
never come as an obstacle for the growth of the sport in the state."
MFA
Secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar, however, feels there is still scope for
improvement. "Our programs at the grassroots level have borne
satisfactory results, but I still feel that things could have been
handled better. We are still figuring out the best way of running a
grassroots course, in terms of selecting the best players and trainers,
and ensuring that the operations take place in a more professional
manner," he says.
Most of the footballers to come out of the state
in recent years haven't had access to proper football education in
their initial playing years, says Hmar. This is why the state has
specifically started targeting kids from the age of six through their
grassroots program.
Hmar also lauds the efforts of the state
government in improving the quality of football, which has also been an
immense help at the grassroots level. "There are four artificial turf
grounds in Mizoram; another two grounds are under construction - all
being constructed by the state government," he highlights.
Mizoram Premier League
"We
have never had any shortage here, in terms of talent, but until a few
years back, local football was not structured. Players could barely
remain fit throughout the season as the competitive level was poor,"
says Lalnghinglova Hmar . That changed in 2012, when MFA introduced the
Mizoram Premier League (MPL). The new state league kickstarted what Hmar
terms as a 'football revolution' in Mizoram.
In less than four
seasons, MPL has gone on to become one of the finest provincial leagues
in the country, in terms of quality, competitiveness and media coverage.
Zonet Cable TV, a local television network, signed up as the commercial
partners of the MFA, and has played a crucial role in the league's
growth in recent years. The company bears the operational costs of the
MPL, relieving the state governing body of a major financial burden.
"MPL
has helped revive football in the state, both on and off the pitch. The
back pages of local dailies, which had long been obsessed with European
football, are now filled with reports on the local league. With Zonet
telecasting all the games of the league, the league has received
unprecedented coverage over the years," he explains.
"The league has featured prominently in the local media. Online media portals like
ZoFooty and
Inkhel,
in particular, have been quite active in the coverage of the league.
The extensive media coverage of the league shows that it has been a
marketing success," says
ZoFooty's Puia.
MPL also owes much
of its success to the young football followers of the state. "Most of
the fans you usually see at the Lammual Ground (where MPL games are
held) are youngsters. On online football forums, where you would see
football fans discuss European football a few years ago, today there are
young fans debating over the local game," Puia remarks.
The road ahead
Mizo
football, however, has a few problems of its own today. The biggest
challenge, at present, is to sustain the growth of MPL, says
Lalnghinglova Hmar. The MFA Secretary says clubs will have to improvise
in order to tackle the issue of rising expenditures.
"Mizoram is a
state where there are no multi-national companies, no big industries:
in short, no proper sponsors. Financially, it's difficult for clubs to
sustain themselves. The MFA is trying its best to educate clubs on
cutting down on expenses in order to survive in the long run," he says.
A man who minces no words, Hmar expresses his displeasure with the
current situation in Indian football,
which has seen the I-League being cut short to a 18-week long event. He
says Mizo football clubs with national aspirations will face a major
problem if ISL, or a league system with ISL franchises at the core,
becomes India's national league.
"No club in Mizoram has the
potential to bid for an ISL franchise or be a part of it, mainly because
of the financial constraints they operate under. It will create a huge
problem for our clubs who want to be in the top flight," he opines. Hmar
goes on to add that he is in favour of the I-League being reformed,
instead of the ISL being turned into a full-fledged league.
However,
he remains optimistic about Mizoram's future in the sport. "We are
second to none in terms of talent. With more funding and better
infrastructure, the future looks good for football in Mizoram," he
concludes.
The Kerala Mizo Association football team before a match against St
Peter’s Kanathura in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday | B P Deepu
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The zest for football has brought Kerala and
Mizoram together this Onam season. The Kerala Mizoram Association (KMA),
which represents 300-strong Mizo population in the state, has fielded a
football team in the Sevens Football Tournament underway at
Shangumugham Ground. 