Shillong, Apr 14: Meghalaya are scheduled to take part in the maiden edition of the U-20 Men’s National Football Championship, an All India Football Federation tournament, but not until next month.
The championship, named after Swami Vivekananda, began on Friday. It is being held in stages so as to accommodate all the teams in one venue, in Narainpur, Chhattisgarh.
A total of 32 states are participating in the championship, the final of which will be played on 22nd May.
This is the first AIFF tournament for players in this age group.
“We felt the need to have the competition to put the building blocks in pace for our footballers,” AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey had said earlier. “The U-20 group competition is very crucial in a player’s lifecycle to step into a professional career. With the U-20 competition, the youth structure slabs from sub-junior to Santosh Trophy get completed.”
The winner of each of the groups qualifies for the quarterfinals, the last of which takes place on 18th May. Then follow the semifinals, both on 20th May, followed by the final two days later.
Meghalaya fixtures:
vs Mizoram, 12th May, 3:30PM
vs Rajasthan, 14th May, 3:30PM
vs Maharashtra, 16th May, 3:30PM
