Football as a democratic agent of change

“Democracy is a participatory game of contact and blocking, not a spectator sport. It may be able to survive with some of the population simply cheering from the sidelines or even blissfully unaware that the game is being played. But the number of participants can decline to the degree that democracy exists in name only, since the level of participation declines, so does its representativeness. The fewer people who get involved, the less likely they are to reflect the concerns of the general population,” (Steven E. Frantzich, Citizen Democracy, NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 1999). 

In the current scenario, sports cultures emerge as an intriguing focal point and are tools for both democracy and diplomacy. This is especially true for India, especially among women and in rural areas, bringing voice to the athletes and thus their communities. Youth from traditionally marginalised groups in Indian society are participating in sports at a higher rate than before, and their success and mobility offer new, intriguing methods for identity assertion. Let us look at the case of Manipur (the first author`s home state in India) in the context of football, which is creating news in India and the world.

Manipur is known as a "powerhouse" for producing female football players. Recently, Nisith Pramanik, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, paid a visit to the Sports Authority of the Indian National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) Imphal and praised Manipur for its rich sports culture (Source: https://theprint.in/sport/manipur-will-have-state-of-the-art-sports-infrastructure-before-2024-nisith-pramanik/993954/; accessed 2023.03.10). Manipur has produced many women football legends, including Oinam Bembem Devi and Nangom Bala Devi, who both played for the national team.

Their experiences and knowledge in the field of sports have given a voice to young girls, including the first author, who herself started playing football from a very young age and played for the country at the international level; and, this was the very reason for her to be able to assert herself and have an opinion to decide her future; empowerment is what democracy brings. When she grew up playing football, the All Manipur Football Association (AMFA) provided training known as the Grassroot Development Programme from a young age, where young players were trained with a clear foundation focusing on physical stamina, skills, tactics, diet and nutrition.

Football ‘democracy’ (i.e., youth are given the chance to play, and thus develop their social skills towards creating their own future) is making inroads into rural communities. Nevertheless, challenges remain. There are a.) income inequalities b.) educational development inequalities, and c) a lack of awareness of different programmes among players. For example, the “economic empowerment” of female football players in Manipur is not apparent with the income of female players significantly lower than that of male players. The majority of the players also come from low-income families and frequently face difficulties and discouragement due to their low-income backgrounds.

Manipur also has the most female football players in India. With the growing interest in sports competing on a national and international level, many players take a gap year in their education or are unable to complete their education, which later becomes a challenge when looking for employment. Those who do continue their education – it being a tool for upliftment – like the lead author, who has completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies, struggle but sport has been a tool for continuous motivation to assert the youth, and that leads to transformation in society.

Thus, sport democracy still has a long way to go in India, and in the context of women's football in Manipur the path has been set in that more and more young girls are opening up to their dreams of playing not only football but diverse sports. The establishment of the National Sports University in Manipur is also a positive step forward. This is not just for football and women; Manipur has strongly emerged as a talent hub for numerous sports and global sporting events. Manipuri athletes standing on the podium is also proof of how far this northeastern state has come to empower its sporting youth, who can now not only voice their opinion on the state, national and international arena but also be harbingers of change – an important democratic principle.

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Authors
Pukhrambam Oshin Chanu, Kakching Khunyai Leikai, Manipur 795103, India

Randeep Rakwal, Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, and Tsukuba International Academy for Sport Studies (TIAS2.0) and University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan