Dimapur: The Nagaland Super League (NSL) marked a historic leap for football in Nagaland, culminating in the state winning a special national award at the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Awards 2024-25.
The NSL was held across two major venues Chümoukedima football stadium and Indira Gandhi stadium Kohima, which concluded on April 1, with seven participating teams, 45 matches, and over 140 goals scored, setting a new benchmark for football and sports event management in the state.
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Secretary general of the Nagaland Olympic Association and member of the NSL governing body Abu Metha told reporters on “NSL final score” programme at Chumoukedima on Monday evening that the NSL 2024-25 was an overwhelming success. He said the level of response and support that it got from all sections was beyond expectations.
“The victory is a victory not only for NSL but for the entire ecosystem of football and sports in Nagaland,” he said.
Metha, who is also the vice president of the Athletics Federation of India, added the NSL was only in its first edition, yet it got national recognition. He thanked the football fans across the state, who joined physically in the stadiums, fans who joined on digital platforms, who followed and cooperated with them on social media handles.
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Metha said the final match showed a record of 53,000 live audiences, over five lakh views, more than seven million impressions on Facebook and the total ticket revenue generated was Rs 60 lakh.
He pointed out that the NSL was the only league in the country to have a weekly show on satellite television and that the entire production was done by local entrepreneurs and local digital media personalities.
NSL chairman and Nagaland Football Association general secretary, MLA Benei M Lanthiu said what began as a vision had become a reality, giving a platform to young footballers to pursue their career in football as a profession in the state.