By Shillong Lajong Media

SHILLONG: Shillong Lajong Football Club is pleased to announce the return of one of its own, former National Footballer and Lajong goalkeeper Gumpe Rime, who is heading back to the club as the Head of Youth Development from the start of 2015-16 season.

Gumpe, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, began his professional football career with Mahindra United in 1995 and also played for other Clubs like Salgaocar FC, HAL and Vasco to name a few before donning the Red of Lajong.

He joined Shillong Lajong FC in the year 2009 and was the first choice Goalkeeper when the Club gained its first I-League berth during the same year. Gumpe was instrumental in helping Lajong finish as the runners up of the Federation Cup in 2010. He remained with Lajong until 2012 as a Goalkeeper but at the same time mentored the Junior Reds Goalkeepers.

He then joined the prestigious Tata Football Academy in the year 2012 as an Academy Coach and made a great contribution to the development of Players at TFA.

Earlier this year he appeared for the AFC A license Course held in Goa and he was recently awarded the AFC A license after being successful in the course.

With the great memories he has of Lajong, the homecoming of Gumpe could not have been better scripted and he is immensely excited to be back with Lajong to embark upon a new journey with the Club in nurturing and developing the future football stars from the North East as the Head of Youth Development from August this year.

Expressing his delight on returning to Shillong, Gumpe said “It is a privilege coming back to the club where I retired as a player and started my coaching stint. The club invited me when they became the first team to qualify for the I-League 1st division in 2009 and I was very happy to be a part of it. And now as a Head of Youth Development where developing and promoting young talent from the region is the prime focus, I am thankful to the club management for considering me for this role.  We are the best professionally managed club of North east and being a part of it itself is a proud moment for me.”

Speaking on the appointment, Managing Director Larsing Ming Sawyan said “ to have one of our own mentoring the next batch of Lajong graduates is part of our objective of nurturing our own former players into coaches of the future. At Lajong , creation of an internal holistic player development capability  of high standards is fundamental to our immediate objectives . Our developmental moto being ‘ for the North East  by the North East ‘. Gumpe is a good Coach, has a very keen eye for talent and most importantly champions the cause of youth development. Lajong is 100 % committed to furthering our developmental agenda in the entire North-Eastern Region and our next task is to appoint youth coaches in the states of Mizoram , Manipur and Assam immediately and the rest of the North East  by 2017. ”