SHILLONG: Royal Wahingdoh FC have taken a step in a positive direction by forming the first professional female football team in Meghalaya.
The team was officially unveiled to the media on Saturday.
As part of the club’s youth development programme headed by coach Bobby Nongbet, the women’s team came together in the early part of this month.
AFC ‘C’ License coach and National Institute of Sports diploma holder Iaikyntiew Nongkynrih has taken charge of the women’s squad, which comprises girls between the ages of 12-16.
According to the club, the squad has been put together to provide young girls with the necessary exposure through professional training in the sport and to groom young female football enthusiasts for future tournaments.
While Meghalaya has done impressively well in boys’ football, the girls’ game has been rather lacking in comparison.
Such a move by Wahingdoh, one of the premier clubs in the state and a newly-qualified I-League team, will give the girls’ game much-needed impetus if sustained by the Royals.