Shillong, June 16: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has laid strong emphasis on grassroots football, saying the government-initiated block-level football leagues can also divert rural youth from “negative elements”.
The block-level football leagues organised across Meghalaya will give every village youth a reason to stay engaged in sport and even small steps like a Saturday match can divert them from the “negative elements”, he said while addressing the Meghalaya Sports Conclave on Tuesday.
“…I have already given an order to have our league matches at the block level. We have 56 blocks in the state. So what I want is that I want our youth who is in Selsella village who is in class VIII, IX and X looking forward to that league match in Selsella block on Saturday and practising Monday to Friday after school and spending his or her time focusing on that sports to look forward to that match on Saturday, rather than the youth going and doing other anti-social elements,” he said.
While medals remain a goal, Sangma stressed that the immediate priority is participation and engagement at the local level.
“Yes, while I want medals, we might even help and support and give option to that child to be able to look forward to that league match in a Selsella block on a Saturday and taking him/her away from negative elements, I believe that in itself is one of the important achievements that we have done,” he stated.
The Chief Minister described these grassroots initiatives as the building blocks of a larger vision.
“These are small things. Big things are important, but every small bit adds to what we want to do,” he said. He also underlined that the government’s responsibility extends beyond elite athletes.
“For me, the athletes sitting here are important and we will do everything to support you but again as I said the story is not just about you but the story is about every single child and youth in our state,” Sangma added.
He tied the sports push to the state’s larger development goals.
“We would like to see that we are able to give an opportunity so that we can build a better and stronger Meghalaya and a bigger and better and a stronger Meghalaya will make a bigger and better and a stronger India. That is really what our goals are,” the Chief Minister said.
