This project explores India’s regional football through players from different parts of Chhattisgarh, and tries to understand their relationship with the sport and how they inspire one another. I am looking closely at grassroots football to grasp the culture I missed growing up.

In India, our football history is barely known. There is limited literature on the sport, and only recently have people begun studying it through political, historical, and social lenses. As a result, football remains visible mostly within specific regions and communities, unlike cricket, which has become deeply embedded in Indian culture.

Spending time watching local matches and observing what I’ve learned opened a new way of seeing the game. As I followed players during training and off the field, I understood them better as individuals—their routines, stories, families, and friendships. These experiences, both on and off the pitch, allowed me to immerse myself in Chhattisgarh’s local football culture and understand how the sport lives within this social landscape.In India, our football history is barely known. There is limited literature on the sport, and only recently have people begun studying it through political, historical, and social lenses. As a result, football remains visible mostly within specific regions and communities, unlike cricket, which has become deeply embedded in Indian culture.