Shillong, Mar 22: The long-held dream of the Meghalaya Football Association, football fans and past and present players was realised on Saturday with the launch of the MFA Academy at Polo Ground here, a major move to further develop the football ecosystem in the state and produce players who will represent the state for years to come.
The launch coincides with the MFA’s golden jubilee year and the executive council agreed that the best way to honour 50 glorious years of the MFA was to prepare the groundwork for the next generation of footballers.
Sixty boys have been inducted into the academy, evenly divided between the U-12 and U-14 categories. More than 300 eager children turned out for the first phase of trials and, after being put through their paces, 60 were selected for the first intake and they have many experienced youth coaches to help them on their journey, including Playerson Syiemlieh, Amit Rai, Subir Dey, Seibor Sana and Bobby L Nongbet.
MFA President Hamletson Dohling was joined at the historic launch programme by senior members of the association from several different districts. Speaking to the gathering, which comprised players, their family members and others, Dohling said the MFA wants to see more players from the state reach the Indian Super League and national team. He encouraged the youngsters, who range in age from 10 to 13, to be disciplined, focused and dedicated to their footballing dream while not ignoring their studies.
Infrastructural work is currently underway at the MFA Ground. MFA Vice-President Cliff Nongrum, a former state-level goalkeeper, said that when these are complete the association hopes to make the academy a full-fledged facility with residential options for children from outside Shillong, along with full scholarships and comprehensive training and also open the academy to girls.
“There are only a few players from Meghalaya in the ISL, compared to Mizoram and Manipur,” Nongrum said. “We need to hand-hold the children until they reach the senior level.”
(Meghalaya Football Association photo)