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Members of NEFL and NFL managers along with the team head coach and players posing for a photograph after the press conference at A1 Powerplay in Dimapur on Friday. (EM Images)[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Aug. 16: The North East Futsal League (NEFL) was officially launched on Fri. Aug. 16 at A1 Power Play in Dimapur in the presence of NEFL founder and manager Ranajit Mahanta.
Addressing media persons at a press conference, Mahanta announced that the NEFL is all set to be played from August 25 to the 31st at the NC Bordoloi Indoor stadium in Guwahati. Six teams from Northeast; Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram will be playing in the league. Nagaland Super Five team under the banner of the Nagaland Futsal League (NFL) which is affiliated with NEFL will represent the state.
The matches will be played three times in a day and the match fixture will be out on Aug. 20, Mahanta informed.
Mahanta remarked that NEFL will be providing Northeast athletes with an annual stage to showcase their talent in the sport of futsal. "NEFL is a first of its kind mixed gender futsal tournament to be held in the country", he said.
NEFL he said has a unique concept of mixed team which portrays the engagement in sports without regards to the sex of the participants. It is a way to boost female sports participation and improving social harmony between the sexes, and in building an ecosystem to support their development in the sport through channels of exposure and growth.
Nagaland Futsal League (NFL) affiliated to NEFL was founded by Suya Longkumer and Jungshi Jamir with Akika Kiba as the partner. NFL has been organising tournaments to select players to represent the state, Longkumer and Jamir maintained.
The NFL has appointed Patrick Brixner the head coach of Nagaland Super Five team and Apeto K Sema the team captain. The Nagaland Super Five squad are: Inonito Zhimomi, Nyithong Magh, Newto Sema, Khiuwangbo Kaurintah, Akhala Jamir, Nyitsarho Nyusou, Limawapang Longkumer, and Kawijino Newmai. The Nagaland squad has two international players Patricia Ballesteros Bermero and Alex Rubio Carretero both from Spain.