Nagaland government has strong political will to nurture sportspersons, says NLA Speaker

Mokokchung football ground expected to get astro turf within 14 months

Mokokchung, May 4 (EMN): Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) Speaker Sharingain Longkumer on Wednesday said the incumbent state government has a strong political will to set up a sports battalion to encourage and nurture young sportspersons from the state and provide them a platform to excel at the national and international levels.

He was addressing the gathering at the inaugural function of the 3rd Mokokchung Inter-Ward Football Tournament organised by the Marepkong Youth Association at Imkongmeren Sports Complex in Mokokchung.

The NLA Speaker announced that astro turf will be laid on the football ground in Mokokchung under the initiative of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.

While expressing his sincere appreciation to the chief minister for considering the setting up of the facility in Mokokchung, he said the project would be pursued on a war footing and laying of artificial grass should be done within 14 months.

He also expressed hoped that the next edition of Inter-Ward Football Tournament and the Mokokchung District Football Association (MDFA) trophy would be played on astro turf ground with him as the host.

The NLA Speaker also stressed on building friendship through sports and the need for discipline in order to excel.

“It should be our collective desire to foster unity and friendship through sports, so that our collective aspiration for socio-economic development of human resources can be achieved,” he asserted.

Stressing on the need for leadership qualities in sports, he said it can’t be gained overnight and team spirit is one of its traits.

Maintaining that skills and tricks of sports cannot be acquired just by watching television and YouTube, Longkumer urged sportspersons to hone their skills by consistently practicing on the field and uphold discipline.

‘You should have the spirit of trust on your teammates through practice and perseverance, than the person beside you will trust your ability to perform. You need to train both your body and mind in order to develop those qualities,’ he told young sportspersons.

He also urged the ward leaders and stakeholders to encourage and nurture the young talents in order to achieve the common aspiration of transforming Mokokchung into a sports powerhouse.

‘Through sports we may be able to achieve many things in socio-economic uplift of our people,’ he said.

It may be mentioned that laying of artificial turf at Mon and Tuensang football grounds is said to be in progress, while a similar facility is reportedly in the pipeline for Dimapur and Mokokchung.

The state currently has two playgrounds — Kohima and Peren — with astro turf fields.