Aizawl FC: The Pride of North East
In India the most popular sport is cricket and we Indians considered it as a religion. For a diversified country like India different regions might have different taste. When you landed North East cricket is no longer religion for them but it is football. They worship football and for them it is the national sport. The people of North East are crazy for football and it is the home of some of the great football talents. But there are only a few clubs that played in I-leagues. Most clubs that played in big tournaments are new born and not more than 20 years old. None of them won the I-league except for Aizwal FC. With the winning of I-league, they became the first team from the North East to win the I-league. They created history within two years of being promoted to the I-league. Unlike Bengaluru FC there are not many star players to start the season. But they are determined to their goal and achieved only through their hard work. A major credit for the winning goes to their coach Khalid Jamil. The journey was not so easy and they had to wait long to gain something. After 28 years of the club’s birth in 2012, they were officially certified by the All India Football Federation to participate in the I-League 2nd Division. This move would begin a new chapter for Aizawl Football Club as they would officially become professional. Finally, the team qualified for I League 2nd Division after its second attempt. In 2015, they won 2015 I-League 2nd Division and as a result they’ll participate in India’s top-tier football tournament I-League in 2015–16 I-League, the first team from Mizoram to do so. In 2017-18 season they won the I-league and became the first team from the North East to do so. This was like a celebration for the Mizos. With this they won both the I-league 2nd and 1st division in 3 years. In this journey the fans provided constant support to the club. The core of fans of Aizawl consists of the Ultra Aizawl. They were also the first who brought the Ultra movement in India’s stages. Large banners, flags and double holder characterize the Fans, as well as a "pre-Inger" with megaphones The Rajiv Gandhi stadium had an average appearance of 20000.
The team is still playing in the I-league but the next three seasons were not that great. IN the coming future we hope to see the team in the ISL.
