Much has been written and spoken about the ongoing Dr. T. Ao Trophy XXII Inter District Football Championship 2022. The ups and the downs, the highs and the lows – most of us are all aware by now. We have also seen how the level or quality of Nagaland football has improved over the years. It is not just the playing eleven on the field that determines the quality output.
The coaches, the backroom staff, the managers, team physio, technicians, sponsors and several other aspects, including the fans, are equally responsible for development of the sport. We are still a long way to get there but there are plenty of positive signs that indicate we are on the move. This is where the community as a whole must involve and participate. Without community support, it will be difficult to create an ecosystem to sustain the sports industry.
The government will naturally be compelled to make its presence felt when the industry is community driven, because the people in the government need ‘visibility’ to project themselves in the right perspective and what better platform can they get than this.
We have seen in the past week the state chief minister giving away music instruments and accessories to 5 artists in Kohima sponsored by an international brand. People in the government need visibility and they derive their energy from being in the limelight. Sports, just like music, is an industry and offers the kind of platform that people in the government need.
For instance, the semifinal match between Mon and Tseminyu was viewed live online by more than twenty thousand users. The actual number of viewers could be much higher here because more than one person viewed the match on the same device. Also, people generally like to watch sports in groups. The number of deferred views of the semifinal match was hovering above 2,20,000 views at the time of writing this column.
This tournament has attracted the biggest media coverage in the history of Nagaland football and this will only get bigger in the future. The people in the government who crave for visibility in order to improve their prospects of remaining in the government will not want to ignore this.
Development deficit in sports infrastructure is a known fact. This deficit can be recovered only if and when the community participates. Community participation will create an ecosystem for sports as an industry to thrive. In this respect, for starters, the Mokokchung District Sports Council needs to be revamped. Not just football but a number of sporting disciplines where Nagas can perform can be promoted. Further, industries like sports, music, fashion, healthcare, tourism, media and many others are inter-related.
It requires foresight and planning to harness the benefits of promoting sports as an industry and, at the district level, revamping the MDSC is indispensable. MDSC can be the catalyst for community participation which will in turn induce government participation.