By Monojit Mandal
When we talk about developing the sport of football in India, we mostly focus on variables like grassroots, infrastructure, exposure tour and technique. But what we often miss is making headway in the community-based football in our country, even when the sport is loved and played in all strata of society.
In a unique yet systematic approach, a football tournament christened Farmers’ World Cup 2022, was recently held at Marngar in Ri Bhoi district, Meghalaya from April 30 to May 7, involving players from the farming community, with participation registered from all across the state.
The tournament was an Abani Meghalaya and AFISI initiative, powered by the Indian Army’s Red Horn Division, and aptly supported by The Meghalayan, Anant Foundation, Out There Public Engagement, and Infinite Solutions.
The tournament had not only provided a platform to unearth talent and facilitate the development of the allied sports ecosystem in the state but also acted as a vehicle of knowledge sharing among the farmers and acknowledging the farming community and celebrating their contribution to the society.
Talking to The Meghalayan, a farmer and player John Wear M Sangma, on behalf of the East Garo Hills team said,
“We are thankful to the Indian Army’s Red Horns Division for all the facilities provided to us, the farming community, the Defense community and others. We were treated so well during our participation in the tournament. We were also given sufficient nutritious meals thrice a day by the Army”.
“Also, the accommodation was clean and well maintained, with proper power points beside each bed for charging our phones. The Army also provided us with proper sleeping bags coupled with mosquito repellents provided for sound sleep. Toilets and bathrooms were equally well maintained and ample water was provided to all the players”.
The speaker also added that commutation to and from the stay to the venue which was about 30 km away, had been hassle-free, as everything had been taken care of properly by the Army.
Here, the context of the facility is quite relevant as we often find organizers of many sporting events washing off their hands just by providing something in the name of facilities to the sportspersons.
Such care and three-star logistics support as was organized in the Farmers’ World Cup, not only helps in giving confidence to the budding athletes but also builds a sense of responsibility and makes the athletes more competitive.
Above all, the football tournament also served as a rostrum to instigate positive change among the youth, inspire them to be the “changemakers” within their community and a pointer towards the other communities to adopt similar initiatives to foster community and youth development.
This tournament would be held annually and different venues may host the event each time and it may also differ based on local preferences.