Arunachal Pradesh is all set to host the 77th edition of the National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy, 2024. Started in 1941, Santosh Trophy is one of the oldest football tournaments in India. By hosting this prestigious event, Arunachal will become the first northeastern state to host the final round of the championship. The championship is scheduled to be held from 21 February to 9 March at the Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium in Yupia.
Host Arunachal will play Goa on 21 February at 7 pm. Altogether 12 teams, led by defending champion Karnataka, will lock horns. For the first time, the matches will be played under floodlights at the Golden Jubilee Stadium. Arunachal is a football fanatic state. Hopefully, a large number of people will turn out to support the beautiful game of football. Also, the infrastructure of the Golden Jubilee Outdoor Stadium, Yupia is being upgraded for this championship. When the tournament ends, the authorities should make all possible effort to ensure that the infrastructure is properly used. Often, during mega events, the government spends huge amounts of money to ramp up infrastructure and later they get abandoned. This causes immense loss to the state exchequer. This aspect should be looked into seriously. Football lovers will come out in large numbers and watch every match from 21 February to 9 March. Let’s celebrate the game of football.