Football catches the fancy of youth in Mizoram after Santosh Trophy triumph

Aizawl, Mizoram: After winning the Santosh Cup this year, youth in Mizoram are keen to make a career in football.

Aiming to become a football superpower, Mizoram is nurturing talent from remotest corners of the state. A recent visit to Kanhmun Village in Mamit District of the state shows youth honing their skills in the sport. Every evening, these budding players in village Kanhmun gather in a local ground to hone their skills in soccer. Despite poor infrastructure, spirits are high after the state won the Santosh Trophy, an annual national football tournament, recently. Two players from Mizoram, Lalrindika Ralte and Jeje Lalpekula, play for the Indian team. Numkhima Darlong, a player, said: "Everyone in Mizoram loves football, and we want to play for the national team. Now, also matches are going on, and we are football crazy. Almost every village has two to three football grounds." Boral Zhua, a local football club manager, said: "From Mizoram, we have three players who play at international level, and from our own village we got two players for under -16 who play for the Indian team." To encourage football among the youth, the state government has provided two astro turfs at Aizwal and one at Lunglei. The fourth one is coming up at Champhai. IN 2012, the state government launched the Mizoram Premier League (MPL) and organized tournaments with the participation of various clubs of the state. Mizoram`s success story will surely inspire other states in the region as well. Zhumsa, a player, said: "People in Mizoram love football. Everybody plays football. There are some players who have to go abroad. There are some who play for the Indian team." In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Union Home Ministry has worked out a plan to tap sports talent in the North East. It believes that there is a large pool of untapped talent in the tribal belts of India and intra-tribe and inter tribe sports competitions can be a solid stepping stone for the youth. The north eastern states are known for some big names in sports like archery, boxing, long distance running, and football.