SHILLONG: Regular training of footballers throughout the year is having a positive impact on the readiness of players at the regional and national levels as the Meghalaya U-21 team came second place in the Dr T Ao Football Tournament.
While lauding the team for their hard work, Coach Bobby Lyngdoh Nongbet said, “Nothing of this sort would have been possible without the boys, who have worked so hard on the field until the very last day of the competition.
Their efforts speak volumes in terms of dedication and spirit that the team has, adding “I would sincerely love to congratulate the boys for their splendid performance in achieving something that Meghalaya had not been able to do before,” the A-Licence coach said.
Nongbet also paid credit to team manager Jeffrey Warlarpih, assistant coach Rohit Nongspung, and physio Franklin Sohphoh and the whole team at the Meghalaya Football Association on the team’s success.
The football clubs also received their share of thanks from Nongbet.
“Did I perform some magic in the team playing amazingly well in this tournament? Did we get to the final based on luck? No! Success involved a lot of people and I would like to thank the owners of the clubs, who are also very much involved in this achievement, which is a rare one. Because of clubs like these we were able to play well. They are directly responsible,” the coach said. Nongbet identified several areas where Meghalaya has improved in its football development over the last few years, which is having an impact.
Besides finishing as runners-up in Guwahati, Meghalaya had also recently qualified for the final round of the Santosh Trophy after securing a place through the zonal round.
“The coach education system in the state has improved very much. We now have more qualified and experienced coaches as compared to the last 10 years,” Nongbet said.
Furthermore, he said that most clubs in Shillong have a licensed coach who keeps up-to-date with modern trends in football and even in other districts we are beginning to see qualified coaches come up. All this is a good sign and a good development.
It makes our jobs easier when we take the boys for higher level competitions outside the state.
