The story of football clubs disbanding because of a lack of financial stability isn’t new in India. Worryingly, Aizawl FC has been experiencing such thoughts of desperation despite making history as the first North-East club to win the I-League.
But instead of heading down the path of destruction, it has thought out of the box and devised a survival strategy. The club has enlisted as a construction company with the Mizoram government, and has already won a bid to construct a road in Bunghmun West in the neighbouring Lunglei district.
“The club’s financial health is in poor shape, we do not have enough sponsors,” says Aizawl FC general secretary Vanlalnghaka Chhawnchhek. “We call it the People’s Club, so closing it down was not a solution. We had to find a way to sustain it.”
The recent midseason transfer of talented forward H. Lalmuankima to ISL side FC Goa offers a sense of the challenge Aizawl faces. “It does not speak ill about the player’s commitment, but more our club’s inability to meet his demand for a raised salary,” says Chhawnchhek.
The idea of a construction business came from club president Robert Royte, who is in it himself.
“Ever since he took over the ownership early in 2011, Mr. Royte has been looking for ways to make the club financially self-reliant,” says Chhawnchhek. “The construction business was a good option as we will be getting a lot of support from NECS (North East Consultancy Services), the company owned by Mr. Royte.”
Aizawl FC sports the NECS logo on its jersey, but the new arrangement will reduce its reliance on the company, a part of the Mizoram-based TT Royte Group. The club has invested in construction equipment and hired engineers to staff the new division; it also plans to offer its fans employment opportunities for weekend work.
Why didn’t a club with such a large fan-base opt for the more traditional strategy of reaching out to corporate sponsors? Chhawnchhek says there were offers, but most of them came from liquor brands.
“Drugs and alcoholism are big problems in our society, and the club could not seek the patronage of companies manufacturing spirits,” he says.
“As a professional club, we have a huge expenditure. We need to pay the players and the coaching staff every season. We can now expect that [profits from] Aizawl FC’s new business arm will supplement the club’s financial needs,” says an optimistic Chhawnchhek, as the club continues its bid to defend the coveted I-League crown.
