Aizawl FC is languishing at the 10th position in the ongoing I-League so far. The team have garnered only six points after six matches. But this poor result so far does not seem to have affected the club’s top brass. The club does not seem anxious also with the struggling of the performance team so far. 

It should be remembered that Aizawl FC is the first club from North-East to have clinched the I-League in 2015-16. 

But the club's mission has changed in the last few years. It wants to maintain the supply-line Aizawl FC Academy created almost a decade ago by launching its non-residential coaching program. 

The senior team which have been participating in the ongoing I-league have 16 young footballers (most of them aged 17) from their coaching program among the 26 registered footballers for the I-league. These 16 boys are participating in the I-league for the first time!

Club secretary Hmingthana Zadeng revealed, “We are aware of our senior team's unimpressive show in the I-League so far. But this is not a senior team. Most of the boys have been promoted to the senior team from our academy and we feel pride for that.”

He continued, "Going through the statistics, you will find more than 15 footballers from our coaching program have been recruited by ISL and I-league clubs every season in the last couple of years. Our mission is to maintain the supply-line for Indian football." 

The non-residential Aizawl FC coaching program is all set to take a big jump. The club is in the process of getting a new Astro-turf ground in the early next year. According to the club secretary, it will give them a big boost in developing infrastructure for the coaching program. The club has already in mind to construct a hostel alongside the ground to make its coaching program a residential academy in the true sense.

Victor Lalbiakmoya used to look after the club's youth development program for one-and-a-half years before being promoted to senior team coach this season. He expressed satisfaction also while speaking over the phone with Aizawl. 

"First of all, our inexperienced boys have been showing courage and determination, fighting against the big-bodied foreigners in the I-league. I am thankful for their spirit. Secondly, the club's mission is what it should be. We had to release nine footballers even this season for the I-league and ISL teams. So, we should be proud of the fact that one of the major supply-lines to Indian football in the last few years has been Aizawl FC," said Victor.

The coach however is hopeful that these 'inexperienced' boys will take the team to a safer zone in the League table by their determination! 

Significantly, as a part of its initiatives for the promotion of the game, Aizawl FC has planned to host the first-ever I-League match on Tripura soil, in Agartala in January. This historic event will be organized in collaboration with the Tripura Football Association and the Government of Tripura, with the support of the Tripura Olympic Association.