The drawing of pools and fixtures for the MDFA Trophy 2023 took place today at the residence of the Mokokchung District Football Association Treasurer.

A total of 14 clubs have registered for this year’s MDFA Open Football trophy, all from within the district with six (6) new entrants.

The participating teams competing for the trophy include Telongjem FC, Moanungsang MSC, 16 United Brothers, Konyak Students’ Union Mokokchung, Sports Society Soyim, Zonipang SA, KSR Team, Arka FC, Brotherhood FC, Legendary Yeomanly Misfit, Lomuden FC, Super Seniors, Dare Devils (Assam Rifles), and NU Lumami.

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The tournament’s pool distribution is as follows:

In Pool A: Moanungsang MSC, Dare Devils Assam Rifles, and Brotherhood.

In Pool B: Arka FC, Telongjem FC, XVI United Brothers, and NU Lumami.

In Pool C: Legendary Yeomanly Misfit, Zonipang SA, Konyak Student Union Mokokchung, and Sports Society Soyim.

In Pool D: Super Seniors, KSR Team, and Lomuden FC.

It was informed that the fixtures for the league-cum-knock-out tournament will be announced tomorrow.

It is worth noting that Telongjem FC is the defending champion for two consecutive years, while Moanungsang MSC was the runners-up in the previous edition and has two prior wins in 2006 and 2007.

The winning team will receive a cash prize of Rs two Lakh, while the runner-up will be awarded Rs one Lakh, in addition to individual prizes. This year, for the first time in MDFA history, both the winners and runners-up will receive individual medals.

The MDFA 2023, under the theme ‘Empower Through Football,’ is scheduled to commence on October 17, 2023, at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex in Mokokchung. The Inaugural Guest for the event will be Benei M Lamthiu, Hon’ble MLA of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and General Secretary of NFA. The tournament is set to conclude on November 3, 2023.