Dimapur, November 11 (MExN): As announced earlier, the 18th edition of the Royal Gold Cup will commence from November 20, 2009 with the final match slated on November 28, 2009. Eight clubs, including reputed teams from Sikkim and Manipur will vie for the coveted trophy with some of the best talents from within the state.
The tournament will be conducted as an “All India Football Tournament” under the supervision of a match commissioner and a set of national referees nominated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). They will be ably aided by officials of the state for a smooth and fair competition. All the matches will be played on a knock-out basis with extra time and penalties in cases of tied matches.
The prize at stake, co-sponsored by the State Bank of India is Rs 1 0000 (Rupees one lakh) for the champions with the running trophy and merit certificates. The runner-up team will walk away with Rs 60000 (Rupees sixty thousand) with a trophy and merit certificates besides a host of prizes and awards for outstanding individual performances. A press release issued by convenor, Zhovi Kire, tournament committee informed that “the tournament committee reserves the right to make minor alterations if need arises.”

The match schedules are as follows: