Dr. T Ao Trophy 2022 : A glimpse into the other side of the tournament 

Mokokchung Times News

Mokokchung scripted a golden chapter in its sporting history as it hosted the 22nd Inter District Football Championship Dr. T. Ao Trophy where, for the first time, all sixteen districts of Nagaland participated in the mega event. The tournament that began on 19 April saw close to 500 players and officials from all over Nagaland staying in the town making it a cosmopolitan event.

These ten days had witnessed shades of highs and lows with inputs from various sections of the people starting from the poor infrastructure to the controversial team selection. But amidst all that, Mokokchung’s craze for football remained unblemished and the trophy has carried on till the final successfully.

As the trophy draw to an end on Friday, Mokokchung Times took a glimpse at the people who worked endlessly to make sure that the guests had a proper stay. The players and the officials were hosted in two different locations: one in Marepkong ward and the other in the Multi-Sports complex, Mokokchung.

Talking to Mokokchung Times, Aongsen Aier, the person in-charge in Marepkong ward shared his experience of managing the kitchen with seven of them and how, despite the task being challenging and exhausting at times, they were able to pull it through because of their unity and cooperation.

“Initially, twelve districts stayed with us along with the drivers, handymen and security personnel so it was really hectic and tiring but it was one of the best experiences I had. Moreover, our kitchen team worked with so much unity that we didn’t face any sort of shortcomings. The cooperation between us made everything run smoothly,” he said.

According to him, representatives from Dimapur, Longleng and Tseminyu told them that the accommodation they were provided in the tournament was the best they had experienced so far.
“Though it was tiring, when we got compliments such as ‘one of the best’, we felt really appreciated and this made us work even harder,” he said.

“We may not have satisfied every individual but that is what is going to happen in a group as large as this but we tried our best in making sure that they were contented with what we do,” said one of the cooks.

“We usually used to wake up at 5 in the morning and work till 11 at night and even one o’clock in the morning at times,” another cook shared her experience.

Purjungshi, the person in-charge in Multi-Sports complex, hosted the teams of four districts along with officials, volunteers, Nagaland Football Association and various committees. He expressed how glad he felt when players from Shamator and Niuland, who had experienced playing in the tournament before, named their experience in Mokokchung as the best Dr. T Ao tournament so far.

Mon District Football Association player (MDFA), Kapzei expressed how this tournament was his best experience and was better than expected. He shared how this tournament helped in making new friends and getting along with Nagaland’s top players while sharing bonds between seniors and juniors.

”At first I was a little concerned because the distance between where we stayed and the ground was a little too far but eventually I realized that it was what made the team more united because whenever we decided to do something, we did it together as a team,” he said while talking about his stay.”The hospitality has been at its best. It has been a wonderful experience,” he added.

“I am actually impressed at the hospitality shown towards us. The kitchen did not maintain a specific timing but was open throughout allowing the teams to take their mess in their convenient time. Another thing that really impressed me was the willingness of providing warm water and certain other things anytime we needed,” said Lemtong.

“Do add the availability of black tea, that’s what we Konyaks are known for,” Ating, the captain of MDFA joked. “We had congestion in the room initially where two districts had to share the same room with only a temporary partition but apart from that, I did not have a problem with anything,” he further continued.

Meanwhile, Kakhevi expressed his fondness for Mokokchung and shared his appreciation for the hard work carried out by the people on duty.”Since it is a large group, one cannot satisfy everyone and there’s definitely going to be hiccups in certain areas but I know they tried and did their best,” he said.

Overall, the players expressed that the best thing about 22nd Dr T. Ao trophy was the live coverage by SportsCast India for the first time.

“The fact that we can review our own matches and then learn each other’s strategy was really helpful. Moreover, the fact that even our family and friends from afar could witness the matcheswas one of the most amazing things,” said Ating.

The players then shared their appreciation for the sincerity shown by Nagaland Football Association and Mokokchung District Football Association and the hospitality the town has given them.