Monday Musing
[ Amar Sangno ]
The Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia erupted into wild celebration with ground-shaking, rumbling roars from football fans when Omang Dodum – a home boy – intercepted a pass and squeezed the ball through the Sri Lankan goalkeeper’s legs, finding the net in the 49th minute of the opening match between India and Sri Lanka in the South Asian Football Federation Under-19 Championship 2025.
Four months after the SAFF U-19 Championship euphoria, which saw a record number of football fans turning up in just two weeks of the tournament, the Indrajit Namchoom Arunachal League (INAL) – the state’s first full-fledged professional football league, named after the states’ football legend – took off with a fledgling start on 4 October.
The INAL aims to promote football – more importantly, local talents and clubs – and instill professionalism in the state’s football culture.
Football, the most loved sport on the planet, has always fascinated Arunachal’s sports aficionados. The tryst with football began with the rise of the state’s football legend, Indrajit Namchoom, in 1959, when he represented Assam in the Santosh Trophy.
Many football lovers might not have been born when the late Namchoom, who later became sports minister, was representing India from 1960 to 1968 in international championships held in Saigon, Vietnam, and Malaysia. There was hardly any football ground in the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), yet Namchoom managed to represent the country on numerous occasions, which is why Arunachal remembers him as a pathfinder in sports.
The INAL-2.0 was born out of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Arunachal Pradesh Football Association (APFA) and the Society for Youth and Sports Development (SYSD), Arunachal Pradesh, in 2022, for the ownership of the league for seven years, with scope for extension and renewed league fees to the APFA.
In the INAL-2.0, 10 teams representing their respective zones, comprising 27 districts of the state, are taking part in the state’s biggest professional league.
“Initially, our concept was only for eight teams, considering our state’s small population. However, to represent the state’s composite regions, we expanded it to 10 teams, as it encompasses the entire regions, right from Mon to Patkai,” said INAL 2.0 chairman Okit Palling.
The INAL-2.0 began in a spectacular fashion, involving extravagant lights, music, and cameras, akin to any other grand Indian sporting league. It takes football fever into new heights.
The league involves 180 Arunachali players and 42 hired. More than 240 crew members – out of which 90 percent are local – and 170 artists, musicians, dancers, etc, participated in the tournament. The league’s page has already witnessed more than 20 million hits on social media platform.
“Rs 10 lakh is the entry or franchise fee that each club has to pay. But one mustn’t mistake this: the franchise fee of Rs 10 lakh is for three seasons, meaning each season, the club owner pays only Rs 3.3 lakh,” Palling added.
Palling curated in designing the league to create a sustainable clubs-based footballing culture without taking fund from the government, at least for organizing the event. The event’s ticketing, and sponsorship from business owners, public sector undertakings and multinational companies are the sources of revenue generation.
“For the first time in India, all the players are insured for Rs 10 lakh, with total insurance of approximately Rs 24 crore. It’s a live streaming and fan engagement-based model. The league majorly focuses on development of players from Arunachal and equally focuses on representation of players from the home zones,” Palling said.
The INAL 2.0 is a professional league registered with the All India Football Federation, with the winner qualifying for the Indian League 3.
“Organizing an event at the cost of the state exchequer is easy and has been a prolonged practice in the state, but football has a bigger fan following in the Northeast region; hence, this model may work only with the support of fans,” Palling said.
He also shared that the formula of privatization and private investment is the future for any sector to grow; hence, moral and official support from government departments and associations would garner appreciation from all corners.
“Without people turning up to support the players or teams at the stands, this bold initiative may die down as the 40-50 days’ organising cost is huge and one of the biggest events that the state has witnessed till date” he added, acknowledging clubs such as Gora Makik FC, Bamang Taji FC, Todo United, etc, which are pioneers of the club-based football model in the state.
Sports and Youth Affairs Secretary Abu Tayeng opined that lack of sponsorship and fan base may be a hindrance to the growth of the INAL, and that the league requires financial discipline and commitment to earn and retain public confidence, since it is a commercial venture.
“It is a very good initiative – a small step towards bringing professionalism in the game as well as in players. It will take time to really take off, so will require deep pockets. Handholding by the government, corporates and the APFA will be necessary,” Tayeng said.
Siang Warriors FC owner Nalong Mije shared how he accidentally became a franchise owner.
“I became a club owner quite by fluke. There was no taker for the Siang franchise, and since it was a matter of prestige for our area, I decided to step in and take it up,” he disclosed.
“What makes it most fulfilling is knowing that we are doing something meaningful for the talented youths of the Siang zone – giving them a platform to showcase their abilities and realise their potential,” Mije added.
For Capital Complex FC owner Kipa Takum, owning a club is having a white elephant.
“Owning a club in Arunachal Pradesh is like having a white elephant. For many, it is a one-way ticket, only outgoing, no incoming,” Takum chuckled, sharing his predicament over the one-way investment.
It is only his love and passion for football that drove him to own a franchise.
“It is only my love and passion for this beautiful game that has enthralled me to run the show for the last 22 years. Since my graduation in 2003, I started Capital Complex FC,” he said, adding that his main aim behind starting the club was to give a platform to younger players to showcase their talents and lead a disciplined life, both on and off the field.
The INAL 2.0 has captivated many professional coaches and players, as they have had great things to say about the league.
“I think this league is a well-planned and well-organized league. I believe its part of a long-term plan for the players and the teams, to prepare them for top-tier Indian football,” said Alison Kharsyntiew, head coach of Siang Warriors.
As the INAL 2.0 draws halfway through its seasonal journey, every evening the Golden Jubilee Stadium in Yupia erupts into rumbling roars and deafening victorious songs and club anthems. We hope Arunachal will see more football stars like Indrajit Namchoom, Gumpe Rime, Gyamar Nikum, Techi Amin, Achom Degio, Tailyang Cosy, Yash Chikro, Omang Dodum, and Kojam Beyong.
