While the Indian Super League may be in pause mode for now, football in a small town near Mumbai is refusing to slow down. In Ahilyanagar (formerly Ahmednagar), the beautiful game is being carried forward with belief, bravery and purpose. The town is buzzing with football frenzy as its annual U-15 league brings together over 15 teams across boys’ and girls’ categories, turning local grounds into spaces of hope, competition and community bonding.
Organised by Namoha Football Club, the league has become a symbol of what grassroots football in India should truly look like. At the centre of this movement stands Namita Firodia, the woman whose passion has quietly built a football ecosystem in a region often overlooked on the national map. “You don’t need big stadiums or television cameras to propel football,” Namita says. “You just need belief, honesty and the willingness to start from the ground up.”
Founded in 2018, Namoha Football Club was created to pull children away from screens and back onto playgrounds. “If we don’t introduce sports at the right age, we take away children from not just football, but also from discipline and teamwork,” she explains.
What started as a small initiative has grown into a structured grassroots programme that focuses equally on skills, fitness and emotional well-being. “Football is a teacher,” Namita adds. “It teaches children how to lose, how to fight back and how to respect others.”
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One of the most striking features of the Ahilyanagar Football Super League (AFSL) is its player auction system—conducted not with money, but with points. “When money enters youth sport, equality disappears,” Namita says firmly. “Our point-based auction ensures every child feels valued, not priced.” The system has drawn admiration for creating balance while reinforcing the idea that football at this age is about development, not commercial gain.
Launched in 2021, AFSL has grown into the biggest football league the city has ever seen, involving over 100 young players, local sponsors, parents and stakeholders. The league follows a transparent three-stage selection process—trials, training and performance evaluation—ensuring fair opportunity for footballers and first-time players alike. “Talent exists everywhere,” Namita insists. “What’s missing is access. AFSL is about giving that access.”
With WIFA-appointed referees, professional medical support and scouts from leading clubs in attendance, the league now offers young players the exposure which is rarely available at the U-15 level in Maharashtra. “Why should only big cities get platforms?” Namita asks. “If a child in Ahilyanagar can play with confidence and structure, imagine what they can achieve with the right support.”
As AFSL’s influence reaches Pune, Mumbai and even Vidarbha, Namita Firodia’s mission stands as an eye-opener for the powerbrokers of Indian football. “Grassroots is not a checkbox—it is the foundation,” she says. In Ahilyanagar, that foundation is already being built, one match, one child and one belief at a time!
By Joe Williams
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