Drawing of pools for the much anticipated Mokokchung District Football Association (MDFA) Trophy 2023, scheduled to kick off on 17 October, took place on Thursday at the MDFA Treasurer’s residence in the presence of representatives from the participating clubs.
The fourteen teams have been divided into 4 pools with 3 teams in Pool A, four teams each in Pool B and Pool C, and 3 teams in Pool D. The fixtures of the tournament will be declared tomorrow.
The tournament promises to guarantee some pleasant surprises as 6 of the 14 teams in the tournament are making their debut while a number of players from other districts are also featuring in the teams. The SSS continues to keep its record of being the only team to have participated in every single MDFA tourney since 1993. The Super Seniors will want to prove their ‘seniority’ on the field while defending champions Telongjem FC will want to secure their third consecutive title, despite the KSR Team’s explicit intent to thwart them.
Former champions Moanungsang MSC will want to reclaim their past glory, which they missed by a whisker last year. Another former champion Zonipang is also making a comeback albeit with a much younger team. All in all, the tournament is guaranteed to live up to the legacy of MDFA tournaments.
Along with the individual prizes to be won, the winning team will receive a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh while the runner-up will be awarded Rs 1 lakh. For the first time in MDFA history, both the winners and runners-up will be awarded individual medals this year.
MDFA Trophy 2023 is all set to kick off on 17 October at the Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung with Benei M Lamthiu, MLA and General Secretary of Nagaland Football Association as the inaugural guest. The tournament is being organized under the theme ‘Empower Through Football.’