The 1st Intra-District U-23 Football Tournament kicked off on March 10, 2026, at the District Sports Council Ground, Zunheboto. The tournament is being organised by the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) in collaboration with the Zunheboto District Football Association (ZDFA).
Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Zunheboto, Dharam Raj (IAS), who attended the inaugural programme as the special guest, congratulated the organisers for initiating the tournament and expressed hope that more teams would participate in the coming years.
In his address, the DC said it was a privilege to attend the first edition of the tournament. He acknowledged that, as the inaugural event, there might be some shortcomings but expressed confidence that the tournament would continue to grow and improve in the years ahead.
He credited the initiative to the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), S. Toiho Yeptho, for promoting development through sports in the district. He further stated that the DPDB aims to focus on human resource development through sports and other activities.
Dharam Raj also emphasised that sports play an important role in the physical and mental development of youth. He added that tournaments like this would help young players hone their skills and improve the district’s performance at state level competitions. Encouraging the players, he urged them to play with companionship, compassion, and a strong spirit of sportsmanship.
In the inaugural match, Pughoboto defeated Aghunato 7–0. Toka of Pughoboto scored a hat trick to lead his team to a dominant victory.
The inaugural programme was chaired by District Sports Officer, Zunheboto, Anguvito Sumi. The invocation prayer was led by Nupato Zhimo, Assistant Youth Leader of ZTSBC, while a special presentation was performed by Tokali Tovi Yeptho.
The oath taking ceremony was administered by Akaho Zhimomi, Vice President of ZDFA. Altogether, six teams from Zunheboto district are participating in the tournament, which will be played over five days from March 10 to March 14, 2026.