The 25th anniversary edition of the Naga Students Federation (NSF) Martyrs’ Memorial Trophy organised by the NSF in collaboration with the Angami Students’ Union (ASU) will commence on September 13 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima. The tournament will continue till October 18, with matches also scheduled at the Chümoukedima Football Stadium.
The tournament commemorates Lt. Kekuojalie Sachü and Lt. Vikhozo Yhoshü, who sacrificed their lives on March 20, 1986 in line of duty of the NSF.
Addressing a press conference at the ASU office on September 9, co-convenor of the tournament’s steering committee Khrielevi Chüsi informed that 45 prominent teams have finalised in the fixtures for the 25th edition. These include a team from Delhi, one from Sikkim, 7 from Manipur and 36 from Nagaland.
Convenor steering committee Medo Yhokha said the inaugural programme, which is scheduled to be held on September 13 at IG stadium Kohima, will be graced by minister for Rural Development and SIRD Metsubo Jamir as the chief guest.
He informed that the entry for the inaugural match at IG Stadium will be free while tickets for other matches will cost Rs.50. From the quarterfinals stage onwards, tickets will be priced at Rs.100.
The steering committee extended invitation to all the victims of the March 20, 1986 incident.
Yhokha said that though the committee has the names of the victims who have sustained injuries during the shooting incident, however due to lack of details, it has been difficult to reach out to all of them.
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Convenor technical committee Mhasimhalie Matthew Yhome informed that 900 players will be participating in the trophy and 180 team officials will be participating. He said that altogether 45 teams will compete in 44 matches, with 36 fixtures to be held at the IG Stadium in Kohima and 8 matches at the Chümoukedima Football Stadium.
Yhome stated that in the name of 25th anniversary edition, invitations were given out to different teams and out of the eight teams who have confirmed participation, five are former champions of NSF Martyrs Memorial Trophy, two teams are from Delhi and Sikkim, and one from Nagaland Super league.
In order to avoid confusion, Yhome said that the eight teams directly entering into pre- quarter match is because they were “invited”.
Treasurer steering committee Kezhazer Angami also informed that for the first time, the tournament will introduce live streaming the inaugural and proceeding of day to day matches. He said Binge BOXX OTT platform, in partnership with DOX Marketing and Media will be live telecasting the tournament to enable football fans to access real-time updates, highlights and full match coverages.
The steering committee also informed that the champions will receive a cash prize of Rs.5 lakh, while the runners-up will take home Rs.3 lakh. The losing semi-finalists will be awarded Rs.1 lakh each while the losing quarter-finalists will receive Rs.80,000 each.
The Player of the Tournament will be presented with a two-wheeler. Individual awards of Rs.25,000 each will be given to the Best Custodian, Best Defender, Best Midfielder, Top Scorer, Fair Play Team and the Most Promising Player (Under 20). The Best Coach and Best Referee will receive Rs.10,000 each, while every match will also honour a Player of the Match with a citation and memento.
