Naga footballer who plays for Rangdajied United FC Shillong

Ating’s quest for his place in the ‘game of hope’

Just as it had sprang out of nowhere in the beginning, the Nagaland Premier League (NPL), after two mere seasons, was laid to rest abruptly a few years ago. The now defunct NPL was the only link to I-League (2^nd division) for the aspiring footballers from Nagaland.

Even as the Nagaland football administration continues to stumble from one embarrassment to another, we are left with the sinking conclusion that perhaps the undertaker has indeed buried the NPL for good. Never to be resurrected again.

Over the years, Nagaland has witnessed a consistent cycle of annual football tournaments. To name a few, here are some of the major football tournaments played every year in Nagaland: NSF Martyrs’ trophy, MDFA trophy, Loyem Memorial Senior Soccer Open Championship, Classic Cup, Chizami Cup, Royal Cup, Capt Kengruse Memorial Football tournament and many more.

But without link to any other major leagues, these tournaments – despite their wide-scale popularity among the fans here – limit the players’ talent only within the state. With this limitation, our players have struggled to find a way out to make it in bigger professional leagues. However, there are few exceptional players who have overcome these hurdles to further their career in football outside Nagaland.

Eastern Mirror has been, for some few months, featuring this rare group of players. Today, we present to you another household name, who hails from the eastern corner of our state. He goes by the name of Tingnyek (Ating) Konyak, another graduate from the State Football Academy in Dimapur.

With Kivi Zhimomi (whom we have featured already) he has formed perhaps the best known midfield partnership in Nagaland football, right from the academy days. The footballing-twins have played every level together, and even today, they have been signed by the Shillong-based Rangdajied United FC.

It was while he was still in high school, at Greenwood School, that a teenage Ating was selected to represent the Nagaland under-14 team at Subroto Cup in 2007. The introduction to Subroto Cup at the early age convinced him to pursue a career in professional football. 

In an interaction with Eastern Mirror, he credited coach Mughato Aye for the player that he has become today. Right from the academy to the first edition of the NPL, where Ating played for the Naga Tornadoes, Mughato has been his coach and mentor.

At 26 now, Ating is the youngest among the four children of his parents who resides at Lapa Lampong Tizit in Mon district. His father, Honlem Konyak was also a football player and it was him who inspired a young Ating to play football.

While playing for the Nagaland state team at last year’s National Level North East Games in Manipur (which they won), he was spotted by the scouts of Rangdajied, and duly signed up later. He now earns his living as a central midfielder for the Shillong-based club.

“Nagas lack coaching or clinics that can upgrade the football players to build up their carrier. Nagas are born talented but we lack platforms and exposures, we don’t have grassroots level football coaching or any clinic which will help to improve individual's quality as a player,” he said when asked for his view on the football scenario in Nagaland.

“What I observed and learned is that in other states there are 3-4 divisions (football league) and because of that there is competition among the clubs and the players and as a result these players improves individually. Now our top priority is to revive Nagaland Premier League for developing football in Nagaland.”

On why Naga footballers opt to play in states, he said: “There is less platforms and exposures, less investment and less competitions so the players themselves have to move out or try outside the state where there are better chances of going further and achieve one's goal otherwise we could end up just being a seasonal players. I think these are the reasons and problems faced by Naga players.”

Like millions of football players and fans across the globe, he also identifies the Barcelona magician Lionel Messi as his idol. “Lionel Messi is my role model because of his calm and cool temperament on the pitch which I admire the most, apart from his quick and goal scoring feet.”

To aspiring footballers in Nagaland, he had this message: “To be self-disciplined, to have determination and dedication, be humble, never give up no matter how many times you fail, work hard because hard work beats talent and most of all put God first and you will never be last.”

He encouraged youngsters to make football a career choice saying, “there are lot more in football than what we see and believe, it is more than just a game. It is a game of hope.”Ating also shared that his dream was to “play top flight football and put on the national jersey.”

For so many years, Nagaland has been left behind the northeast states, be it in football or any other sports. If we are to reverse it, we need to start from scratch – like Ating has said, “from the grassroots level” – but are we willing to invest in football, and in our players?