Shillong, Sep 24: The Meghalaya government will give football clubs from the state that qualify for the Indian Super League Rs 1 crore in financial support, with smaller amounts for clubs in the I-League and I-League Qualifiers.
I-League clubs will get Rs 40 lakh in support and those who are in the Qualifiers will receive Rs 10 lakh. In this regard, Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Banteidor Lyngdoh handed a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to Ryntih SC as they are about to set off for the I-League Qualifiers, which will begin in Bangalore from 4th October. The balance of Rs 8 lakh will follow “in due course of time”.
A small send-off was organised by the Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs at the JN Stadium here today.
In his speech, Lyngdoh said that there is a need to revive the football scene in Meghalaya, which has largely been frozen due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
While Shillong has given the country three I-League clubs, all have fallen by the wayside, with financial constraints a major issue. The Minister admitted that the state government’s lack of support has further aggravated the problem but hoped the new financial aid packages would help matters.
Lyngdoh also went over his government’s plans for upgrades to the JN Sports Complex – namely the Rs 34 crore to be used on replacing the artificial football turf with natural grass and other upgrades, and the Rs 100 crore to be spent on a new indoor sports complex that will include a swimming pool, basketball court, tennis courts, etc.
(DIPR photo)
