NEW DELHI (India): The Golden Baby Leagues initiative of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has helped light a spark among young children in rural Manipur, a state in the country’s North East.
“Our objective of starting these Golden Baby Leagues was to introduce underprivileged children to football and give them an opportunity to play under the banner of the AIFF.
“Almost everyone here is passionate about football but most people come from underprivileged backgrounds and do not have money to buy even stockings,” said Rabisankar Singh Chingtham, League Operator for the Manipur Golden Baby League and LSDC Golden Baby League in Andro and Laimapokpam respectively.
The league caters to age-groups from U-6 to U-12 and more than 35,000 children took part in leagues all over India in the 2019-20 season.
Over 800 children across four age groups participated in these two Golden Baby Leagues in Manipur last season, often drawing a large number of viewers — even more than local senior games.
According to Rabisankar, the feedback has been highly positive and the children are eager to return to the field soon.
“In a few years, we expect more and more children to join us, which will be wonderful for the sport. The previous season was a great start and we want to keep building on it. With time, we want to prepare generations of footballers in the future,” he added.
He pointed towards the interest shown by young girls, who participated with great enthusiasm.
Their zeal was bolstered after they met former India women’s team skipper and Arjuna awardee Oinam Bembem Devi, who was present for the league’s inauguration along with former men’s team captain Renedy Singh.
