Guwahati is hosting India’s first-ever mixed-gender futsal league, featuring six teams in total. It features all 8 states of northeast India and will be played over a period of 7 days.
The six teams who will be a part of the league are Assam Titans, Nagaland Super 5, Meghalaya Thunders, Mizo Falcons, Apunba Manipur, and Arunachal Highlanders. The squads will have eight players each — including a minimum of three female players, five male players as well as two international players. The matches will be played in the 2×15 minute halves-format. According to the league’s organisers, North East Futsal League (NEFL) will provide a platform for budding footballers and aims to create Futsal as a sporting career in India.
Futsal is a variant of association football but played on a smaller, hard court. It is played between teams of 5 players each one of whom being a goalkeeper. Though the sport was created in 1930, it found international recognition in 2002.
