SHILLONG:Meghalaya Chief Minister, Mukul Sangma on Tuesday launched the much- awaited Meghalaya State League (MSL) for the session 2017-18.
Speaking on the occasion, Mukul Sangma said that the event was a new milestone which was being set as far as football was concerned in the state.
“Irrespective of what happens in the country, there is love for football in North Eastern states and like some other States like West Bengal and Goa,” Sangma said.
Talking about the much hyped Mission Football which has been formatted in due diligence with Meghalaya Football Association (MFA) , Chief Minister assured that Government would have a structure which would regulate football activity at every level.
“Investment for infrastructure will be one of the crucial sectors for the Government, “ he added.
The MSL, as the league will be called is part of the Mission Football Policy that was announced by the Government of Meghalaya. There will be a total of 20 football clubs from 17 of the 21 affiliated District Football Associations of the MFA. The teams will be divided into four groups and will play each other in a round robin basis. The four groups that have been announced for the MSL will be played at Jowai, Mairang, Bhoirymbong and Ampati.
The objective of the MSL is to create a pan Meghalaya League that will help strengthen the football eco system in the State besides facilitating football clubs from the different parts of the State to compete in an equal platform and also further strengthen the footballing culture in the State.
The inaugural match of the MSL will kick off on the 16th of December 2017 at Kurkalang Grounds, Bhoirymbong, Ri Bhoi District and the finals will be held on the 6th of January 2018 at Jowai, West Jaintia Hills District.
The structure of the MSL includes an automatic grant of Rs. 2,00,000/- to every affiliated associations of the MFA that conducts a football league. The champion teams of the respective leagues will be given a participation subsidy of Rs. 1,00,000/- each to cover their expenses for participating in the group stages of the tournament.
The semi finals will be conducted on a Home and Away basis and the semi finalists will receive a participation grant of Rs. 1,00,000/- each. The champions of the MSL will receive a cash prize of Rs. 5,00,000/- and the runners up will be entitled to a cash prize of Rs. 3,00,000/-