Ukhrul’s football dream: a village team’s run to the national spotlight

When the young footballers of Ukhrul United boarded a bus for Imphal, they carried boots donated by former players and a training pitch that doubles as a paddy field after harvest.

The club, run by volunteers and funded by chai stall collections, reached the final qualifying round of a national league — the farthest any Manipur hill club has gone in a decade.

Their coach, a former semi-pro who returned from Delhi, says the run has changed the town: ‘Every child here now believes it is possible.’