By Our Reporter
Shillong: Shillong Lajong Football Club is making an all out effort to groom the young talent available to take the club to the next level at the national stage as the country gears up to welcome football as the no. 2 sport after cricket. SLFC general secretary, Larsing Ming Sawian however reiterated that development of football is not a ‘one-day affair’ and takes upto six to seven years.
Speaking as special guest at a programme titled, A Date With All India Radio organised by North Eastern Service of All India Radio, Shillong and hosted by the president of Shillong Press Club, David Laitphlang, Sawian said that preparations are underway to tap the young football talents and also to sustain the game.
Tracing back the history of football in the North East, Sawian said the region has produced great footballers in the post-independence era and the vacuum was yet to be filled up till the 90s.
“SLFC was established in 1983 and from its humble beginning of being a local team, went on to become one of the national football clubs, when Lajong participated in the I-League. “I was one of the players of Shillong Lajong and scored the highest goals. In the later stages though I decided to take the back stage in order to take football of the North Eastern Region to the national level”, Sawian said.
The perception of parents and the educational institutions have drastically changed towards the game of football, he said. “A player can make a career if he could stay at the national level for three to four years”, he added.
Talking about his Club’s efforts, Sawian said that SLFC has made provisions to provide accommodation to young players in order to enable them to practice more even as they continue their studies.
“We give special tuitions to the players who are weak in studies and we are happy to announce that the Shillong Lajong’s players fared well in the recent MBOSE examination – 2012, with some of them getting distinction in some of the subjects.”
The young SLFC players have also gained confidence from their trips to clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Sawian asserted that football now was the no. 2 game in the country after cricket and the shift in interest can be observed from the fact that corporate giants like Pepsi among others have decided to give priority to football ahead of cricket. He further stated that it is time football consolidates its position as India’s no.1 sport. “India being a growing economy along with China, has a huge scope and potential for further development of the game.”
The youth of India and China are now enjoying special attention and focus from FIFA, and the country is all geared up to welcome the sport, with its bidding for the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017. According to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, India is a “Sleeping Giant” and he will not leave FIFA until and unless football is well and truly established in the country.
Sawian also pointed out that various international clubs are looking up to India for scouting talent and promoting the game, and their own clubs. Clubs like Manchester United, Bayern Munich,Tottenham,Arsenal and Sheffield United have all ventured into India, with special co-ordination from the local teams.
Speaking about football in the North East region, Sawian quoted Novy Kapadia in saying ‘North East India is the goldmine of Indian Football’.
And all this started when Tata Football Academy,the country’s premier football academy, started recruiting aspiring footballers from the region. It may be mentioned that almost all I-league teams have had North East representation, despite no State in the region boasting of a proper league setup.
Meanwhile, the highlight of the evening was a special presentation on Shillong Lajong FC, which had the club’s history, achievements, and accomplishments with a detailed insight into the Club, both from a footballing and a commercial aspect.