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Player of Stunners F/C, in white and red, vying for the ball against a Volcan FC player in the ongoing Under 15 Men Football Marep Royal Trophy at Marepkong ward, in Mokokchung on Mon. Dec. 10. (EM Images)[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, Dec. 10 (EMN): As winter sets in the small ground of Marepkong Ward the 8th Under 15 Men Football Marep Royal Trophy got underway in Mokokchung on Mon. Dec. 10.
It’s the sole tourney in Mokochung where high school students can spend their winter with a futsal play-off after a whole a year of academic stress.
“I am proud that I could bring-up some young enthusiastic football players from our colony. During our High school days, we were so busy with our exams in November that there was no tournament for High school students during the winter holidays. The up-coming youngsters are lucky they have a tourney like this,” a young man who is a team manager and has done his M.A said.
The organiser expressed that this year too, there was more than 40 teams willing to participate but due to Christmas activities we had to cut short the tourney and select only 32 teams.”
What makes this tourney popular among the high students is that it provides a full-time academic scholarship for a year to players, who performed better both at a team set-up, individuals skills and overall quality of a sportsmen spirit.
The tourney also carries trophy for the winner plus cash prize along with runners-up prize and other individual prizes.
The tourney was attended by colonel Imtimeren, Commanding Officer, Hevuto Battalion, NSCN / GPRN. The colonel in his address lauded the Marep Rayols for their efforts in moulding the up-coming football players in district.
He also urged the participants to take this platform as a time to discipline themselves and improve their skills to climb the ladder of professionalism and bring laurel to the Nagaland.
Imtimeren also urged the organiser to enlarge the scope of this tourney into a bigger tourney which can encompass the whole of Nagaland and also level-up the standard of the tourney beyond Nagaland.
Day one results: