The Spituk Stadium, which stands at an altitude of 11,500 feet, is home to 1 Ladakh, which is soon going to earn a passage in history as the first club from the faraway Himalayan region to play in the 134th edition of the Durand Cup. “It’s a massive opportunity not just for 1 Ladakh FC but also for the UT of Ladakh to be playing at Durand Cup for the first time ever. A huge thanks to the organisers,” 1 Ladakh FC co-founder and general secretary of Ladakh Football Association (LFA), Tsering Angmo, told TOI. “We are a team from the northernmost part of India and playing in the Durand Cup is an opportunity for us to bring Ladakh to the Indian football map. We will use this opportunity to spread the message of awareness on climate change. You will see we will be very unique in how we play football and carry our message to the people of the country,” she added. A brainchild of Tsering and former Real Kashmir co-owner Shamim Meraj, 1 Ladakh has the black-necked crane on the crest and traditional motifs on the jerseys. Their eco-friendly jerseys, unveiled by the Dalai Lama, have already sold in thousands outside India, especially in Europe. The opportunity to bring their football from an altitude of 11,500ft to the mainland national stage is one that the two-year-old club has cherished since its inception. “Our expectations are very grounded. For now we just want to compete well and give a good show at the Durand Cup and then hope for some magic and miracles!” was how Tsering explained their upcoming sojourn. However, 1 Ladakh are leaving no stone unturned in their endeavour to compete with some of the best in the country. The dearth of professionals from the region has led them to recruit 10 footballers from around the country to guide their challenge, along with the Ladakhi players. Former Chennaiyin FC assistant coach, Rajan Mani, will be at the helm of the club. He was a youth coach at Bengaluru FC as well and also the ex-head of youth development with the U16 Indian team. “Playing in the mainland, with the huge difference in weather conditions from Ladakh, can be a deterrent to the players’ performance. So, we are taking steps to acclimatise,” Tsering explained. Hence, the team will be travelling to Delhi on Friday and undergo a 10-day conditioning camp at IMT Ghaziabad. They will then avoid unnecessary air travel emissions and travel by train to Jamshedpur, the destination of their Group C clashes, and hold a five-day camp in collaboration with Jamshedpur FC, ahead of their Durand Cup opener against Foreign Services Team at JRD Tata Sports Complex on Aug 2. The very existence of the club, touted “the greenest club in South Asia” with its mission to hit net-zero carbon in four years, challenges the status quo. Apart from their goal of eventually playing in the I-League and becoming the first club from Ladakh in India’s top-tiers, it’s their environmental message that makes them the club to watch out for at Durand Cup. Tsering said, “We will be the team using minimum plastic and have a calculator to measure our carbon footprint.”
