NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) ended season one of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the bottom, but the support they garnered was second to none. Their fans flocked the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati for every home game, voicing and parading their support for their team in admirable fashion.John Abraham, Owner of NEUFC believes that football is the link to the unification of people across the north eastern states.When asked about why he opted for the NEUFC franchise he explained, “Simply because while cricket is a primary sport elsewhere, north east is a hotbed of football. Why should I look at a city-specific team when I can look at an entire region? I knew this was our chance to bring the entire north east together through football. The region has always been divided in itself, and through past governance, north east has always been neglected. Football has managed to do in the north east what governments could not.”Abraham believes that despite their bottom placed finish, his team deserved better and that they have identified their shortcomings. “In the end, it was just a matter of one win. We did not deserve to be at the bottom; we were a far superior team. We know our weakness was the strike force. We didn't have the teeth to bite,” he said.When asked about the philosophy governing the club he exclaimed, “North east is one club where we want to create our own stars and retain them. This is the only non-corporate team and we are working from our hearts. My intent is very honest. I want to build football in India, and for that to happen, we must go through pain at the start. For us, it does not matter what happens in the first two or three seasons. We are not losing sight of our vision. Everyone knows north east is a football nuclear bomb in the making. This is a gold mine.”NEUFC played their home games at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati during season one. Guwahati being the capital of Assam which is one of the states that constitutes the north eastern region. “My dream is to get out of Guwahati after Season 3. Aizawl, Imphal, Itanagar, Shillong, all these are probable venues. We want the north east philosophy to spread across all states,” Abraham revealed.The Highlanders kick start their ISL campaign against Kerala Blasters FC in Kochi on 6 October 2015. They are set to host FC Goa in their first home game on 16 October.Quotes taken from John Abraham’s interview with The Times of India.
