Guwahati: In a significant boost to grassroot football in Mizoram, the Mizoram Football Association (FA) has collaborated with the Reliance Foundation to conduct the Naupang League aimed at providing a platform to aspiring footballers to gain competitive exposure, right from the age of six.
The RFYC Naupang (Children) League will be played across four venues with two models of the league structure. The Mizoram FA and District FAs will host the leagues in Lunglei and Kolasib, enabled by RFYC, while two leagues in Aizawl and Champhai will be owned and operated by Reliance Foundation Young Champs.
According to the organisers, the tournament will be played in multiple game formats, with the participants aged between Under-6 and Under-13 years. A minimum of 30 games are expected to be played by the kids.
Highlighting the uniqueness of the proposed league, Mizoram FA secretary Lalnghinglova Hmar termed it a possible “game-changer for Mizoram and Indian football”.
He further said, “The community participation in the proposed Naupang League will add a different dimension to the competition as it will be a collective participation of kids, parents and the local community, which will drive and motivate the team like never before and fuel the competitiveness of the league.”
Appreciating the effort of the organisers, Tetea Hmar, an executive committee member of the All India Football Federation, said, “The pilot project in Mizoram, which we are confident will be successful, can be used as a blueprint for grassroots development, and the first-of-its-kind in Indian football. We are looking forward to the kick-off.”
The organisers further claimed that the Mizoram football ecosystem is set to benefit immensely from the project as the focus is on a broad base of multi-tier, age-group engagements that operate all through the year and meaningfully engage players. The RFYC has also donated an ambulance to the Mizoram Football Association.
Nita Ambani, the founder chairperson of Reliance Foundation, said, “Football is a way of life in Mizoram, woven into its social and cultural fabric. This partnership between RF Young Champs and Mizoram Football Association will provide high-quality training to talented young boys and girls. It will enable budding footballers as young as 5 years of age to gain competitive exposure and enhanced play time.”
The RFYS has been working extensively in the northeast for the past several years. It started in 2016 with its first northeast centre in Guwahati, following which football centres in the talent hotbeds of Imphal, Shillong, and Aizawl were added the next year. In a continuous attempt to provide access to high-quality competitions across the country, RFYS expanded in Mizoram in 2017, apart from Aizawl, Lunglei, Kolasib, and Champai.
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