Shillong, Feb 6: Football association officials from each North East state convened on 5th February in Shillong to discuss the future of football in the eight sister states.
The associations came to an agreement to form a new body – the North East Football Association – to oversee the development of football in the region, a press release said today.
The convention agreed that the North East is a hotbed for footballing talent in the country and such talent and football itself should be developed at a greater pace as well as cooperating on the different issues faced by each state.
The association will oversee the development of football in the North East states and liaise with the central and state governments. It will work to set up a new football competition which will be between the North Eastern states in the country.
The association shall respect and work alongside the existing All India Football Association calendar. It will look to augment the development of football in the North East alongside the efforts of the AIFF in football development. It will also look to provide necessary aid to the state associations that are lagging further behind.
Newly appointed NEFA president Larsing Ming Sawyan stated, “The North East states hold an integral place in Indian football as well as the potential to develop even further. There are states that have seen steady development in football while there are states that lag behind. It is the responsibility of all here to ensure that their development is up to pace with everyone. We will reach out to the central government to see that we have progress in all the areas for potential development. Devotees of football in the North East have stepped up for a North Eastern association to come into existence and we should not be an association that raises its voice just for the sake of raising a voice. We need to ensure our voice and our step go alongside each other.”
NEFA members:
President – Larsing Ming Sawyan (Meghalaya)
Vice-Presidents – Menla Ethenpa (Sikkim), Hemendra Nath Brahma (Assam), Lalnghinglova Hmar (Mizoram)
General Secretary – Kipa Ajay (Arunachal Pradesh)
Treasurer – Amit Chowdhury (Tripura)
Joint Secretaries – to be appointed by Manipur and Nagaland
(File photo of Larsing Ming Sawyan)
