Newly formed NEFA to promote football in North East

To assist football grow further in North East, the state associations of all the northeast states have formed a common platform called North East Football Association or NEFA. The recently formed NEFA will work jointly and liaise with the Centre and state governments for the development of the sport in the region which is known for its rich footballing talents.

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The convention that took place in Meghalaya, the capital of Shillong, recently agreed that the northeast 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 problems faced by each state.

"The northeast states hold an integral place in Indian football as well as the potential to develop even further at a higher level. There are states that have seen steady developments in football while there are states that lag behind. It is the responsibility of all here to ensure their development is up to pace with everyone,” said the newly appointed NEFA president Larsing Ming.

Ming who represents Meghalaya further said that they will also reach out to the central government for more assistance.

“We will reach out to the central government, to see that we have progress in all the areas for potential development. Devotees for football in the northeast 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 steps go alongside each other," Ming added.

The association will oversee 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 All India Football Federation (AIFF) in football development. It will also look to provide necessary aids to the state associations that are lagging further behind.

The other office bearers are: vice presidents - Menla Ethenpa (Sikkim), Hemendra Nath Brahma (Assam) and Lalnghinglova Hmar (Mizoram), general secretary - Kipa Ajay (Arunachal Pradesh), treasurer - Amit Chowdhury (Tripura). Manipur and Nagaland will each appoint a joint secretary