Robert Royte: Mizoram to have record 16 FIFA quality artificial turf pitches

The Sports Minister of the State and the President of Aizawl FC revealed about the project sponsored by the central government.

Mizoram has produced a good number of professional players over the years who have represented the country in every age group across both men and women’s football. Now, the state is all set to have a FIFA-approved football stadium soon as announced by the Mizoram Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte.

The stadium is situated in Kolasib Town near Assam border. Robert Royte recently paid a visit and inspected the ongoing construction of the Sports Authority of India (SAI) sports academy at Kolasib’s Saidan and the laying of artificial turf at the football ground there. He was accompanied by Supply Minister and Kolasib MLA K Lalrinliana and Serlui MLA Lalrinsanga Ralte on Saturday.

Robert Royte spoke exclusively to Khel Now and said the stadium will completed soon and it will be run under the name of SAI which will be taken care by the Government of Mizoram. The stadium will also have training centres for different sports as well.

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“We’ll be making 16 new football pitches across the Mizoram state with artificial turfs which is a record in the country and we are doing it in one go,” he revealed.

“The aim is to make the stadium accessible and available for all the sporting talents across the state and we are building these turfs in the rural areas and I, as a minister, have decided to make sure that the pitches are tested and each of them is of FIFA quality. Some grounds will have galleries too," added the Aizawl FC President.

Moreover, Robert Royte also indicated that all the grounds are constructed as part of a project sponsored by the central government. With the infrastructure being made available, it will have a huge effect on football in Northeast.

“Absence of football grounds is the main problem of Mizoram. I want to make the stadium accessible, available and affordable to the people,” he further added.