Sir
I would like to express my grievances about our sports and sporting community in the state. Meghalaya is a state rich in a lot of sports; from athletics to indoor sports, to cricket and especially, football. It’s good to see athletes both young and old have the drive and passion for different kinds of sports. Even the general sporting community is always supportive. However, there are many areas where we can still improve. For example, the football leagues in Shillong could have more teams in one division, so that more teams and players can come up. Basketball leagues can be introduced and general sports meet that could be organised twice a year and so on. Proper infrastructures like football and cricket fields, more basketball courts and more are required.
We also have different newspapers with their sports pages that can take sporting events to newer heights. The Meghalayan sports pages are one truly wonderful and promote all sports, be it football or cricket or indoor games. Social media is one platform that will always make a big impact. Reaching out to sports lovers and people in general on what is going on in the world of sports here in the state is really important.
We are not far behind other top sporting states like Manipur, Punjab, Mizoram, but we also have a lot to improve on. We have the potential to be the best sporting state in the country. We just need to do the basics right, all kinds of support is needed and commitment from all angles.
Alison Kharsyntiew
Assistant Coach, NorthEast United FC