The Nagaland Super League (NSL) Governing Body on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to the promotion of grassroots football, protection of footballers’ rights, and the overall professionalisation of the sport in the state.
A joint statement issued by NSL Governing Body chairman and Nagaland Football Association president, stated that from its inception, the league’s most important aspiration has been to elevate the status of footballers and promote football development at the grassroots level.
It said that the NSL governing body had taken the decision much before the launch of the league to frame the rules and guidelines to favour the promotion and protection of the footballers.
Accordingly, they said the regulations required every franchise/club to have 24 players consisting solely of indigenous players from Nagaland. Of these, at least six players must be under 20 years of age, with a minimum of three Under-20 players included in the starting eleven of every match.
To protect the footballers, they said NSL made it compulsory for franchise(s)/Club(s) to sign legal contracts with their players, with a minimum contract period of three months and a fixed base salary.
Further, as per the terms of contract(s) of the guidelines formulated by the NFA and NSL governing body, franchises were required to submit proof of bank transactions and payment records of salaries paid to the footballers to Governing Body as stipulated under the NSL Franchise Ownership Guidelines Para. 5 (2) (b).
“These due diligences and compliances are all aimed at upholding the footballers’ interest and for ensuring that the clubs qualify to be recognised and registered under the All India Football Federation (AIFF),” the communiqué stated. They said that the Governing Body had undertaken several steps
Accordingly, they said the NSL Governing Body had taken several measures to ensure that football and footballers remain its foremost priority. The league’s guidelines, along with those for franchise clubs, are structured to achieve sustainability, protect and promote footballer and foster grassroots development.
Most importantly, they said the decisions were aimed at making the league ‘professional’. In order to achieve this aim, they called upon all stakeholders to collectively move towards professionalism, if they wanted to change the narrative and take Nagaland football to new heights.
While terming the NLS inaugural edition as a huge success, NFA and NSL officials acknowledged that several areas still required improvement. It urged all stakeholders—including franchises, players, officials, and administrators—to work as one cohesive footballing family with a shared vision for the future.
Meanwhile, the officials informed that cash awards for all individual prize winners have been paid to their respective bank accounts as provided by the franchises. It said that 17 individuals prizes/cash reward amounting to Rs. 13,22,000/- were already disbursed.
