Former Sporting Lisbon coach to conduct football camp in Kohima

Ten-day training camp for under-17 players is part of PDA government’s effort to promote youth of Nagaland

Kohima, July 27 (EMN): As part of the yearlong celebration of the birth centenary of Nagaland’s football legend Dr. T Ao, the state’s department of Youth Resources and Sports (YRS), in collaboration with Costco, a multinational wholesale corporation, will be organising a 10-day football coaching camp for youth under 17 years of age from August 6 to 16th in Kohima.

The coaching camp will be conducted by Sebastian Rasmussen, an international coach from Sweden, who had been associated with the popular Portuguese football club Sporting CP (Sporting Lisbon). Rasmussen is currently stated to be a coach at the Kvarnby IK in Malmö, Sweden, which plays in the second division Östra Götaland, the fourth tier of Swedish football.

Informing this at a press conference in his office chamber at the Civil Secretariat today, MLA and advisor for YRS, Zale Neikha said the department aims to expose 100 youth from across the 12 districts of Nagaland to train under an international coach. He said privilege will be given to six young players from each district and the rest 28 seats would be open on a first-come-first basis. Should any district fail to send players, their seats would go under the general quota, he added.

Former Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia, who is also the brand ambassador of Costco, will be gracing the inaugural event of the camp, the legislator informed.

Commissioner and secretary for YRS, Anenla Longchar said the coaching camp was also a part of the People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA’s) commitment to uplift the state’s youth by way of giving them opportunity to train under an international coach.

The officer informed young football enthusiasts who were willing to participate in coaching camp to contact their respective District Sports Officers (DSO). The department also invited football coaches in the state to avail the opportunity to attend the camp and witness how an international level coach imparts training.

She said participants of the camp would be given free accommodation at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, however, their travel and food expenses would be borne by the respective district associations. The training is being proposed to be held at the IG Stadium but it was yet to be confirmed due to ground conditions, it was informed.

With regard to the glaring deficiency in sports infrastructure in the state, legislator Neikha stated that the PDA government will be coming up with artificial turf football fields in Kohima and Dimapur soon as a first-phase action.

Supplementing to this, Longchar said the department of YRS has taken up with Khelo India initiative to provide standard football grounds and infrastructure. She said the proposal has already been sent to the central ministry, and expressed hope that Nagaland would have at least one international standard football ground when grant is sanctioned.