Scoring for Soccer in Sikkim

TEMPO BHUTIA has been part of SFA ever since its formation in 1976. He has been the president of the organisation for the last 13 years and is now hanging up his boots to concentrate on another football-related project very close to his heart. Here, he presents an update on the football scenario in Sikkim at present…

I have been associated with football ever since the formation of SFA in 1976. It has been a long journey from having to dig holes for goal posts, collect banners and hang them around the field, and putting grim-faces while checking tickets at the gates, to becoming the President of Sikkim’s biggest association for the last 13 years. Times have changed and with all-round development in Sikkim, Paljor Stadium too has been transformed from sandy surface and wooden gallery to international standard stadium with astroturfs.

It has been a challenging decade for the Association to keep striving to make Sikkim a vibrant football playing State. You’ll be proud and happy to know that Sikkim stands as one of the few Associations surviving to host The All India Level Invitational Football Tournaments. We are perhaps the only Association in the country to host a tournament of this magnitude without a break for the last 35 years.
During the last few years many notable changes has taken Sikkim into the foreground of National and International football. Two of our girls represented Senior National Team and several boys under 14 years of age are undergoing training in world famous clubs like Bayern-Munich, Real Madrid, Barcelona and IMG Academics in USA. Kudos to the Sport and Youth Affairs department in creating a congenial atmosphere for the development of football and I must also congratulate the private football academies for producing sportsmen and women of considerable repute. The emergence of clubs like Denzong Boyz and United Sikkim Football Club who have participated in the Second Division I-League has given a great moral boost to football lovers in the hill region and I hope one day Sikkim will be the Mecca of Indian Football and a force to be reckoned with.
SFA now has a full fledged Women Wing doing a commendable job hosting 1st All India Women Invitational Tournament in 2009 which is a two-yearly affair.
Sikkim is privileged to have been allowed to participate for the first time in the AFC Certificate Course for Coaches held at different times in the country. Ten participants have succeeded to get AFC ‘C’ certificate and one AFC ‘B’ Certificate in this grueling course. Their sincere work is already bearing fruits.
One of the major achievements of SFA has been to bring the FIFA GOLD PROJECT II to Sikkim. There are only two such projects in India the other one being in Bangalore. Under the project, we have completed the construction of the much needed Football House and upgraded the Old Sikkim Guards Ground with construction of RCC building for changing rooms for the match referees and two teams. SFA had also been demanding for an astro-turf in Palzor Stadium for several years and we are thankful to the State Government for fulfilling the wishes of the football lovers this year.
Come what one may say, now that the required infrastructure is ready in place and assets have been created to generate self sustaining revenue, the new body of SFA should be able to function comfortably and leap forward in organizing events for the promotion of football. I thank all those who stood to support in our endeavor and make us feel proud of what we have achieved.
My best wishes to the new body which will be formed on 30 June, 2011.
In the meantime, I would like to devote some time to help develop a full-size ground in the land donated by me years ago in my village, Kewzing.