The 24th edition of the NSF Martyrs Trophy, organized by the Angami Students’ Union (ASU), will kick off on September 14 at the Indira Gandhi (IG) Stadium in Kohima. The tournament, themed “Goal for Peace,” will run until October 5, featuring 42 teams, including nine from Manipur.

Among the participating Manipur teams are Asufii Football Academy, Football4Change, and Tangkhul Katamnao Saklong (TKS). In total, approximately 40 teams are set to compete, with defending champions Red Scars returning to defend their title for a second consecutive year.

The tournament offers a grand prize of ₹3,00,000 for the champions, while the runners-up will receive ₹1,80,000. Semi-finalists and quarter-finalists will be awarded ₹40,000 and ₹25,000, respectively. Individual awards of ₹10,000 each will be given for the best midfielder, defender, custodian, and top scorer, with the player of the tournament receiving ₹50,000.

The NSF Martyrs Trophy is organized to honor Late Kekuojalie Sachü from Kohima village and Late Vikhozo Yhoshü from Kigwema village, who were victims of indiscriminate firing by Nagaland police on March 22, 1986, during a peaceful protest led by the Naga Students’ Federation against the government’s decision to expand the ‘disturbed area belt’ from 5Km to 20 Km along the Indo-Myanmar border and the induction of Indian Police Service (IPS) cadres into the state.