The first edition of the Late Toshi Wungtung Memorial Football Tournament held its semi-final in Shamator on January 8, with the finale scheduled for January 9.
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DIMAPUR — The first semi-final match of the first edition of the Late Toshi Wungtung Memorial Football Tournament was played between Old Showuba Village Students Union and Shiponger Village Students’ Union in Shamator on Thursday.
According to a DIPR report, the programme was attended by S Keoshu Yimchunger, advisor for Youth Resources and Sports and chairman of DPDB Shamator, as the special guest.
The tournament started in October 2025. The finale is scheduled to be played in Shamator on January 9.
In his address, Keoshu urged all the youngsters to be self-disciplined, hard-working, and humble, and to put God first in all their endeavours. He also spoke about the vision of Viksit Bharat, which aims to make India a powerhouse in sports and talent, noting that the youth of the state possess immense raw talent and great potential across various games and sports.
He expressed appreciation to the family of Late Toshi Wungtung and the Yimkhiung Akherü Arihako (YAA) for supporting and organising the event to uplift the young talents of the area and extended his best wishes to all the finalists.
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L Shahoto Yimchunger, joint secretary of the Nagaland Football Association (NFA), and Dokiu Kecham, brother of Late Toshi Wungtung, also addressed and encouraged the gathering and the finalists.
According to a separate press statement, Dokiu Kecham said that the tournament was initiated by the YAA with the vision of nurturing young football talents and honouring the lasting legacy of the late leader.
He recalled that YAA had earlier approached the family of Late Toshi Wungtung with the idea of organising a football tournament to promote sports among the youth. The organisation had also asked whether the family would be willing to sponsor the tournament. After due discussion, the family unanimously agreed to support the initiative.
Kecham highlighted that Wungtung had contributed immensely to the Yimkhiung tribe and the people of Nagaland. He was a former Member of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and played an active role in the development of eastern Nagaland.
“To honour his memory and to ensure that future generations remember his contributions, we decided to organise this memorial football tournament,” he said.
He further stated that through this tournament, YAA aims to uplift and identify young football talents who often do not get opportunities beyond village and range-level tournaments. Recognising this limitation, YAA decided to organise a district-level tournament, with this year marking its inaugural edition.
The tournament is being conducted within the Yimkhiung Students’ jurisdiction. The teams have been divided into four clusters: Shamator, Pungro, Chessore Zone, and Western Yimkhiung.
He expressed hope that talented and fortunate players would progress to state-level, national-level, and even international platforms.
Referring to Nagaland’s rich football history, he mentioned the prestigious Dr. T Ao Trophy, noting that while Nagaland celebrates the legacy of Dr. T Ao, the state has yet to produce a footballer of similar stature. He expressed optimism that initiatives like the Toshi Wungtung Memorial Tournament would help spot and nurture such talents in the future, including from the Yimkhiung community.
He further announced that although this year’s tournament is limited to the Yimkhiung jurisdiction, it is planned to be expanded in the coming years to include teams from all interested districts. The tournament will be held annually, with YAA taking responsibility for initiating and organising it every year.
The family of Late Toshi Wungtung, he added, will continue to contribute whatever they can towards the success of the tournament. He noted that the enthusiastic participation of teams and the strong turnout of spectators are true measures of the tournament’s success.