NEW DELHI, June 30: Vision 2047, as planned by the All India Football Federation, aims to spread the beautiful game far and wide across the nation. One of the latest benefactors of this outreach is the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Previously, footballing action in Ladakh has mostly been restricted to Grassroots activities, with pretty pictures of children playing in front of towering mountains. That, however, changed last year, when the Ladakh Football Association was, for the first time, affiliated with the All India Football Federation, allowing it’s players to compete in the prestigious National football championships.
Indeed, it was a moment of pride for the people of Ladakh when their own football team, comprising of local players, was fielded in the Santosh Trophy Group Stage, in the 2022-23 season, the AIFF sources said.
Tsering Angmo, the General Secretary of the Ladakh Football Association, the first woman to be the secretary of a state football association in India, expressed that this small change altered the fabric of reality for Ladakh football.
“I am not a footballer. Rather, I am a mere administrator. But I could see it in the eyes of all of our footballers. They all had a vision in their eyes, a dream to become professional footballers one day. People were eager to watch matches, to idolise legends like Sunil Chhetri, and so on.”
For Ladakh, it is not only a matter of sending their players for the national championships, but also for them to grow the sport in a region that is sparsely populated. One advantage that the Union Territory has, however, is a strong base.
“The people of Ladakh just love football. There’s not much else to do in the form of entertainment in Ladakh, so children start playing from the age of four or five,” says Angmo.
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