Niuland, February 28 (MExN): Indian football legend Baichung Bhutia will grace the closing ceremony of the Silver Jubilee edition of the Western Sümi Sports Association’s (WSSA) Zuikhu Memorial Trophy Gold Cup in Niuland Town on February 29. Advisor for Industries and Commerce, Hekani Jakhalu, will be the guest of honor.
The final day will feature the Men’s football final between HASSA and Kuhoxu (Niuland). In the semifinals, HASSA defeated Shokhuvi 2-1 (Aqahuto), while Kuhoxu defeated Pimla (Aqahuto) 1-0. The Men’s volleyball semifinals are also slated for Thursday, featuring Kikheyi (Aghunaqa) vs Ghoshito (Aghunaqa) and Yeveto (Niuland) vs Thahekhu Unit. The winners of each semifinal will clash in the final.
Bhutia along with Renedy Singh, also former Indian football captain and assistant coach of Indian Super League Club, Bengaluru FC, are presently advisors of WSSA.
As per the WSSA, under their support and coordination, 11 coaches under the Western Sumi region, comprising 11 areas and 187 surrounding villages, were trained by British coach Richard.
The main objective of the program was to provide basic training and identify young talents at the grassroots level, creating an appropriate platform for them to represent in professional levels, it said.
The WSS, under the close guidance of Bhutia and Singh, expects to send two talented football players for professional coaching as a pilot project, it added.
The WSSA noted that the need of the hour was infrastructure, centers of excellence schools, training institutions, and a professional approach in various disciplines to build young talents for the future.
To this end, the Association assured to make dedicated innovative efforts in the future and share its experiences, ensuring collective growth, including the underprivileged, in the field of sports in Nagaland.
