Shillong: After a highly successful inaugural edition of the Meghalaya Baby League in 2018, the Meghalaya Football Association is pleased to announce that the second season will be launched in July this year and will be held in six districts across the state.
Applications for clubs and organisations wishing to take part in MBL 2019 will be announced shortly.
Over 1,600 boys and girls registered for the inaugural season, which saw the 12 teams play more than 1,300 matches on weekends over seven months. Last season was a tremendous success in bringing together children from different backgrounds from ages 4 to 13 to play competitive football and spur their overall development. The MFA was also happy to see the overwhelming support received from parents and other community members in supporting the inaugural season.
The first Meghalaya Baby League was a pilot project of the All India Football Federation Grassroots Development Programme and financially supported by Tata Trusts. This year’s edition will continue to received the technical back-up of the AIFF and will be supported by Tata Trusts and the Government of Meghalaya. The league will be expanded to 54 teams across six districts and eight locations from a 12-team league held in the inaugural year. The number of teams in the Shillong leg of the league will be expanded to 24 and will be held in three different locations in and around the state capital, while the league will also be held in five other districts around the state, namely West Jaintia Hills, East Jaintia Hills, Ri-Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and West Garo Hills. The target for 2019 will be to have around 5,000 children taking part across Meghalaya in the flagship grassroots football event.
