Players in action during the Kohima versus Tseminyu opening match of the Dr T Ao Trophy which began in Kohima on August 1.
Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 1
The 24th Inter-District Football Championship 2025, also known as the Dr. T. Ao Trophy, kicked off at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Kohima on Thursday with hosts Kohima defeating Tseminyu 3-0 in the tournament opener.
Thejasetuo Gwirie opened the scoring in the 9th minute, while Kevisanyü and Kevizakie added two more goals in the 50th and 53rd minutes respectively to seal a commanding win for Kohima.
Seventeen districts from across Nagaland are participating in this year’s edition of the tournament, which will run until August 15.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Chief Minister of Nagaland Dr. Neiphiu Rio graced the occasion. Also addressing the gathering, Nagaland Football Association (NFA) president K. Neibou Sekhose highlighted the evolution of the tournament, stating that “with the direction of Dr. Neiphiu Rio, the Inter District Football Championship was renamed to Dr. T. Ao Trophy in 2004 and The Northeast Fraternity Gold Cup was renamed to Northeast Dr. T. Ao Trophy in 2009.”
He informed that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has approved the renaming of the Junior (Girls) National Football Championship to the “Dr. T. Ao Junior (Girls) National Football Championship” on September 10, 2024. The inaugural edition of the championship will be hosted by Nagaland from the second week of November 2025.
“In sports, all have an equal opportunity where everything depend on ability on personally skill and efficiency, where the reward is based on merit,” Sekhose said. “In the football, there is no language barriers because everyone speech one language - with one rule,” he added.
Earlier, the oath for fair play was administered to the participating teams by Roko Angami, convenor of the tournament’s technical committee.
The championship is being organised by the Nagaland Football Association (NFA), hosted by the Kohima District Football Association (KDFA), supported by the Department of Youth Resources & Sports (DYRS), and powered by the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) Kohima.
August 2 Matches
• Tuensang vs Mon at 9:00 AM
• Longleng vs Chümoukedima at 11:00 AM
• Mokokchung vs Wokha at 1:00 PM
• Peren vs Meluri at 3:00 PM
