Staff Reporter
PASIGHAT, Sep 20: Sports & Youth Affairs Secretary Ameya Abhyankar on Friday held a meeting with the organizers of the ongoing 25th Senior Women’s National Football Championship (SWNFC) and officials of the East Siang district administration and the sports department to enquire about the progress of the tournament.
Expressing satisfaction over the conduct of the tournament, Abhyankar, however, said there are many areas where the sports department and the organizing committee could improve upon in future.
“The organizing team has done a commendable job despite a few hiccups. We have learnt a lot, and in future we should be better prepared to organize sports events of such large proportions,” he said.
Abhyankar called for better coordination between the sports department and the sports associations of the state. He informed that the state government has decided to ban the use of sports stadiums for political rallies, cultural events, and Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.
“Henceforth, the sports stadiums will be used only for sporting activities,” he said.
“Also, in the next few years, we will construct a world-class stadium with the best facilities to provide a perfect platform for the talented sportspersons of the state,” the secretary added.
Arunachal Pradesh Football Association general secretary Kipa Ajay spoke about the progress of the tournament, and informed that the tournament is being conducted strictly by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) guidelines.
“We are regularly sending reports to the AIFF, and its representatives present here are also monitoring the tournament on a daily basis. Due to rain, there were some issues with the grounds, but we managed to address it.
“This is the first time we are organizing such a big event and, therefore, it is a learning process for us too. We will rectify the mistakes in the future,” Ajay said.
He claimed that this is “the first time in the history of women’s football organized under the banner of the AIFF” that such huge crowd turnouts have been witnessed.
East Siang DC Kinny Singh, SP Rajiv Ranjan Singh and Sports Director Tadar Appa were also present at the meeting.
