The road to Noney winds through Manipur’s western hills before descending into the Irang valley, a landscape where football has long thrived despite the absence of infrastructure.
There are no floodlit stadiums here, only paddy fields that become pitches after the harvest and communities where the game has always been part of everyday life.
From this district of fewer than 53,000 people has emerged FC Raengdai, a club founded in November 2022 with a simple ambition: to create a lasting platform for footballers from Noney and neighbouring Tamenglong, regions that had never lacked talent but often lacked opportunity.
The club’s name comes from the Zeliangrongpui word for the hornbill, a bird that symbolises leadership, courage, loyalty and unity. For the club’s founders, it represented hope for a community eager to be recognised beyond its hills.
That hope has travelled remarkably quickly.
After winning the Manipur Premier League, Raengdai earned promotion to the I-League 3 and, this year, secured a historic place in the I-League 2, becoming the first tribal club from Manipur to achieve the feat. Their rise brought them to the Durand Cup for the first time.
Noney hills and landscape
For midfielder Tingkaochun Gangmei, the journey began on the makeshift grounds of Khoupum Valley.
“My football journey started on the local grounds in Khoupum Valley, where I spent most of my childhood playing with friends after school,” he said. “Those small grounds are where I first fell in love with the game.”
Head coach Birbal Singh Kshetrimayum has built the squad around discipline, commitment and long-term development rather than quick success. Despite the temptation to recruit experienced foreign players for the Durand Cup, he chose to invest in a young Indian core capable of growing together.
That faith was rewarded on Thursday when Raengdai marked their tournament debut with a memorable 1-0 victory over Indian Navy at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal.
The breakthrough came in the 58th minute after Mridul Doley won possession high up the pitch before finding substitute Khaidem Amarjit Singh, who calmly finished into an empty net. It was the club’s first-ever Durand Cup goal and enough to secure all three points against last year’s quarterfinalists.
“This is definitely one of the biggest moments of my career so far,” Doley said.
The victory resonated far beyond the stadium. Gangmei’s family watched from home in Khoupum, while the parents of teammate Gaisuangmei Kamei, who had once questioned whether football could ever be a career, celebrated from the stands.
For general secretary Napoleon Rongmei, the result meant more than three points. It showed that a club established less than four years ago had given the Zeliangrongpui community a national platform and inspired a new generation to believe that their dreams need not end in the hills where they began.
Raengdai’s journey is only just beginning. Whatever happens in the remainder of the Durand Cup, the club has already achieved something lasting. It has carried the story of Noney beyond Manipur and shown that, given the opportunity, even the smallest communities can leave a lasting mark on Indian football.