Has Uttarakhand lost its football fervour?

DEHRADUN: There used to be a time when Uttarakhand’s football team was considered as strong as any other state’s team, but at present, the state is hardly producing any football talent. The hill state’s football team hasn’t even qualified for Santosh Trophy, the country’s biggest domestic football tournament, in the last five years.
Despite there being around 40 football clubs in Dehradun, the game’s infrastructure in the state is not up to the mark, allege players.The football club structure of the state remains in shambles and is no match for clubs in other states like West Bengal, Kerala and others.
Elaborating on the cause of this plight, Upendra Singh, a local footballer, told TOI that there is no incentive for football players in Uttarakhand. “The footballers of the state do not get opportunities in government jobs as there is no sports quota in state government jobs and Uttarakhand hardly generates any central government job.” He added that the state’s police department has also stopped recruitment through sports quota as Uttarakhand Police hardly takes part in any tournament.
“There was a time when tickets were sold for local club matches in the state and still the stadium would get almost packed. But today, the stadium remains deserted even after making the entry free,” Singh added.
The local players allege that talented footballers from the state (much like cricketers) go to other strong football-playing states due to lack of opportunities and government push. Consequently, the gap between other states and Uttarakhand keeps becoming wider with every passing season.
“There are only a few football clubs that pay their top footballers and that too, a very modest amount. Further, league tournaments only take place in Dehradun and not in any other city. Last year, the league tournament wasn’t even organised. Further, no prize money has been given in last two years. So to sum up, no footballer gets exposure in Uttarakhand,” Yogesh Rawat, a football coach, told TOI. Rawat stressed that the state needs more football academies and better infrastructure to nurture young talent.
When questioned about the issue, acting secretary of the Dehradun District Football Association Mohammad Usman downplayed concerns regarding the condition of football in the state. “The players get decent amount of exposure and we have abundance of football talent. There have been occasions when people have tried to create a rift within the association but everything is fine at present. Our elections will be held next month and by then, things will fall into place. Also, we will start the football season by the 15th of next month.”