THE INCOMING RISE OF MONGOL FOOTBALL
Whilst wondering whether the worldwide cultural phenomenon of Football is rising in Mongolia or simply sinking like a stone, I’ve found the times they are a-changin.
If you wander the streets of this city at any time you’ll be sure to find a group of children, teenagers or those even older playing basketball on the slapdash concrete courts. Yet every now and then you’ll see next to the basketball game, a smaller game of football will be taking place. Although small, the interesting observation is that those playing the football are the younger generation. It seems the Mongolian interest in basketball comes from America and the sports coverage that streams from American TV networks. This to some degree helps explain why football has taken a slight back-seat in mass popularity since 1990 and the end of Communist control in Mongolia. But with visits from A.C Milan, new stadium projects and new investment, perhaps Mongolian Football is now set for greater heights.
To get a clearer image of how football is taking shape and progressing I caught up with Erchim FC Head Coach, Batnasan, at the MFF (Mongolian Football Federation) Training Centre. The Ulaanbaatar based team have been crowned champions of the Niislel League (meaning ‘Capital League’) 6 times with the last victory back in 2008. Their recent cup runs have fared better than recent league form having won the Mongolia Super Cup last year.
-How are the team preparing for the start of the 2012 season?
-Good. We are currently preparing for the AFC President’s Cup for which we are travelling to play teams in Lahore, Pakistan. We have good time to prepare as The Niislel League should start on the 10th June.
-Who are Erchim’s main rivals in this year’s league?
-There are no specific rivals as all 8 teams are strong enough to challenge for the league title. Some years you cannot predict who will end up as winners as it is very close right until the very end.
-Do you feel football is growing and becoming more popular?
-Yes Mongolia has a footballing history that goes back to 1964. But recently, within the last twenty years interest has started to grow. Within the last ten years the league has started to take a more professional shape with professional standards and styles of play.
-How well is Football being publicized here?
-Very well actually. There is a lot of football being broadcasted on TV with the Asian Cup, Euro and World Cups all covered and watched. The Niislel League has also become better publicized because it is shown more on TV with Live broadcasts of League and Mongolian Cups. There is also a newspaper called ‘Football’ which is now popular too which covers our teams.
-Where is the funding for football teams coming from and is it hard to find the necessary funds for teams here?
-Yes it is very hard to find enough funding here in Mongolia compared to many other countries. This is the main problem that teams here are still facing. At the moment teams receive investments from other private companies. First we plan our budgets and then ask for companies to donate to us. We normally seek out investment to provide funding for players’ salaries and to maintain the training facilities as well as maintaining the grounds themselves.
-What kind of companies are these that provide the funding?
-Other teams in the league have their own relationships with private companies. But this team, Erchim FC, is financed directly by Power Plant NO.4 as this is their team.
-I see there are plans to expand this ground. How do you feel that will affect interest in the sport?
-I am very pleased with the plans that are now set in place to improve the ground. The proposed budget for the construction will transform the venue in a fully-fledged stadium with seats. After the expansion is completed, we can then attract more international focus and host international football matches so we can compete with other nations and acquire better skills at the same time by learning from other foreign teams.
-I am not aware of the details of such programs but each Niislel League team has their own junior teams which enable young talent to rise up through the ranks. For each of their junior teams there is also good coaches that help train their skills and technique. This is very helpful when selecting for new seasons.
-What was the purpose of A.C Milan’s recent visit to Mongolia?
-Milan and Ulaanbaatar are sister cities. So when the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar was invited to visit Milan, he made some agreement with A.C and asked them to come to Ulaanbaatar and help train Mongolians teams and promote interest in establishing new teams in the Niislel League.
-Will there be new teams in the League in the near future?
-There are currently no new teams entering the league this season. There was a new team that tried to be introduced into the league but it was rejected because its policies were not standing with the standards of the league.
-Where do you see the National Mongolian Football team competing in years to come?
-Of course I see a bright future for Mongol Football but it is in our hands as the coaches. We are the ones preparing this young generation for the National Team so it is very much in our hands and I think we are prepared to work for this bright future.
-And which league in Europe do Mongolian teams hope to emulate in terms of style?
-Well as a coach here I make sure I am constantly watching the Premier league, La Liga, Serie A and also the German league. So I can get a general base for a style to train with.
-Which European teams in particular do you like the style of play?
-In English teams I support Chelsea and I am aim to take their type of football into my team’s style and from Spain I support Real Madrid.
It won’t be long until Mongolians understand what former Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly meant when he famously said:
“Some people think Football is a matter of life and death. I assure you it’s much more serious than that”.
If you wander the streets of this city at any time you’ll be sure to find a group of children, teenagers or those even older playing basketball on the slapdash concrete courts. Yet every now and then you’ll see next to the basketball game, a smaller game of football will be taking place. Although small, the interesting observation is that those playing the football are the younger generation. It seems the Mongolian interest in basketball comes from America and the sports coverage that streams from American TV networks. This to some degree helps explain why football has taken a slight back-seat in mass popularity since 1990 and the end of Communist control in Mongolia. But with visits from A.C Milan, new stadium projects and new investment, perhaps Mongolian Football is now set for greater heights.
To get a clearer image of how football is taking shape and progressing I caught up with Erchim FC Head Coach, Batnasan, at the MFF (Mongolian Football Federation) Training Centre. The Ulaanbaatar based team have been crowned champions of the Niislel League (meaning ‘Capital League’) 6 times with the last victory back in 2008. Their recent cup runs have fared better than recent league form having won the Mongolia Super Cup last year.
-How are the team preparing for the start of the 2012 season?
-Good. We are currently preparing for the AFC President’s Cup for which we are travelling to play teams in Lahore, Pakistan. We have good time to prepare as The Niislel League should start on the 10th June.
-Who are Erchim’s main rivals in this year’s league?
-There are no specific rivals as all 8 teams are strong enough to challenge for the league title. Some years you cannot predict who will end up as winners as it is very close right until the very end.
-Do you feel football is growing and becoming more popular?
-Yes Mongolia has a footballing history that goes back to 1964. But recently, within the last twenty years interest has started to grow. Within the last ten years the league has started to take a more professional shape with professional standards and styles of play.
-How well is Football being publicized here?
-Very well actually. There is a lot of football being broadcasted on TV with the Asian Cup, Euro and World Cups all covered and watched. The Niislel League has also become better publicized because it is shown more on TV with Live broadcasts of League and Mongolian Cups. There is also a newspaper called ‘Football’ which is now popular too which covers our teams.
-Where is the funding for football teams coming from and is it hard to find the necessary funds for teams here?
-Yes it is very hard to find enough funding here in Mongolia compared to many other countries. This is the main problem that teams here are still facing. At the moment teams receive investments from other private companies. First we plan our budgets and then ask for companies to donate to us. We normally seek out investment to provide funding for players’ salaries and to maintain the training facilities as well as maintaining the grounds themselves.
-What kind of companies are these that provide the funding?
-Other teams in the league have their own relationships with private companies. But this team, Erchim FC, is financed directly by Power Plant NO.4 as this is their team.
-I see there are plans to expand this ground. How do you feel that will affect interest in the sport?
-I am very pleased with the plans that are now set in place to improve the ground. The proposed budget for the construction will transform the venue in a fully-fledged stadium with seats. After the expansion is completed, we can then attract more international focus and host international football matches so we can compete with other nations and acquire better skills at the same time by learning from other foreign teams.
Yes we are all very happy that the Mongolian Football Federation is going ahead with this project.
-Are there any youth programs in place to help nurture young Mongolian football talent?
-Are there any youth programs in place to help nurture young Mongolian football talent?
-I am not aware of the details of such programs but each Niislel League team has their own junior teams which enable young talent to rise up through the ranks. For each of their junior teams there is also good coaches that help train their skills and technique. This is very helpful when selecting for new seasons.
-What was the purpose of A.C Milan’s recent visit to Mongolia?
-Milan and Ulaanbaatar are sister cities. So when the Mayor of Ulaanbaatar was invited to visit Milan, he made some agreement with A.C and asked them to come to Ulaanbaatar and help train Mongolians teams and promote interest in establishing new teams in the Niislel League.
-Will there be new teams in the League in the near future?
-There are currently no new teams entering the league this season. There was a new team that tried to be introduced into the league but it was rejected because its policies were not standing with the standards of the league.
-Where do you see the National Mongolian Football team competing in years to come?
-Of course I see a bright future for Mongol Football but it is in our hands as the coaches. We are the ones preparing this young generation for the National Team so it is very much in our hands and I think we are prepared to work for this bright future.
-And which league in Europe do Mongolian teams hope to emulate in terms of style?
-Well as a coach here I make sure I am constantly watching the Premier league, La Liga, Serie A and also the German league. So I can get a general base for a style to train with.
-Which European teams in particular do you like the style of play?
-In English teams I support Chelsea and I am aim to take their type of football into my team’s style and from Spain I support Real Madrid.
It won’t be long until Mongolians understand what former Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly meant when he famously said:
“Some people think Football is a matter of life and death. I assure you it’s much more serious than that”.
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