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Dimapur, March 2 (EMN): As an initiative to encourage women’s football, Doyapur village in Dimapur is providing football training to women.
Speaking to Eastern Mirror, the president of Dimasa Students’ Union, Doyapur, Maidanon Langthasa said that the initiative started when the village organised a football tournament for women. As more tournaments came up, they started to train the players, he said.
The training started during the lockdown period in October 2020. In November, they had a tournament in Assam where they won second prize, “and even though initially we started training them solely for the tournament, now we have decided to continue training them so that they can reach the top level”, he shared.
He said that since January 2021, Tia Ao from Assam Rifles, who has played I-league and several national-level tournaments, has been training the female players. He added that the Assam Rifles have developed the ground and are helping them.
He mentioned that the team is still in the ‘early stage;’ all the 18 trainees are under the age of 15, and are also students. Philip Thaosen is the manager of the Dimasa women's football team, he added.
He expressed hope that by next year, the trainees will be able to participate in the district competitions. He said that at present they do not have any planned project but if there are any upcoming tournaments for women, they will allow the players to participate.
On March 1, the ‘AR Dimapur battalion’ also donated six footballs and two nets to the Dimasa women’s football team of Doyapur village. This team is a product of positive action taken during Covid-19 lockdown by Dimasa students, youth, women society and the community of Doyapur village in Dimapur.