Ayeto Ayemi
Nagaland Football Coaches Association
As we live in the time when Aizwal Football Club, a club from the Northeast is on the verge of becoming the Champions of our national league, would we not feel a sense of pride if one of our boys were a part of that team. Imagine then if that club was from Nagaland itself. You can be sure many will be out in the streets of Mizoram celebrating when they lift the trophy, in fact just getting to the situation they are in today is just cause for celebrations. Nagaland sure needs something to celebrate and be happy about. We hardly have anything genuine to celebrate besides the normal which everyone else have like Festivals, weddings and birthdays.
Why Football? You may ask, I say why not? We have so many Football tournaments splashed across the calendar year. From the local village levels right up to the state level. You will not find a Naga kid who has not kicked a football yet unless he is still learning to walk. Some of the kids then leave the football aside if it is not their fancy but the ones that fall in love with the game get hooked for life. Divorce only happens when circumstances do not agree or simply the road ends. There is a large number of Naga boys and girls, men and women who love Football. Out of that number there is a healthy amount that have God gifted talent that needs guidance, nourishing and most of all a significant stage to perform. As for the men and women you would actually be surprised to know as to how many ache to play and relive their youth or crave to have a kick about like some unfinished life agenda. Then there is a special number who would take that extra step to make football bigger in Nagaland. We have the talent in our kids and passion in our grownups so how can Nagaland not have a need for Football?
The need of the hour is a proper league system in the state that covers all corners. A system that automatically promotes itself through the various levels of football. Knock out tournaments do not do justice to teams and talent but they too need to exist as a vital form of exposure and experience. Whatever the barrier or the circumstance, I appeal to my fellow brothers and sisters that when Football comes at your calling or the ball come rolling your way please support the Football cause.
You can support the game by encouraging and supporting the managements, by avoiding Tribalism and violence in the football environments, by leaving ego and self interest aside for other uses, by shouting and cheering for football besides what we usually use them for, by enjoying the success with respect of the failure of the others and many other ways you can in your own way and circumstance.
Football needs to grow in Nagaland and every Naga has a role to play. Right from the point of honestly paying the Fee to watch a game, to the point of curbing that Naga temper even if you are right,to the point of understanding that the team you support, the ball you kick and the goal you score are all good things and it can become a bad thing if you let it so to the point of understanding that football cannot be the only thing in your life there has to be something else too and to the point of allowing yourself to cry if you fail or your team loses because it is then you complete yourself and allow yourself to become a better human. Then imagine how happy you can celebrate when success happens. Then tell the world why Nagaland does not need Football.
