Shillong, Jan. 16: Shillong Lajong FC today announced the setting up of an academy to groom young talents as the club unveiled Gionee Smartphones as one of their sponsors.

Lajong and Gionee also unveiled the jersey and players for the upcoming I-League season. 'We will set up our own academy on the outskirts of Shillong so that the club will have a sense of belonging and identity,' Lajong chairman Prabhat D. Sawyan told reporters here today.

According to Sawyan, in the presence of his son, Larsing Ming, the club's proposed academy would fructify soon and lauded Gionee for joining hands with Lajong in promoting football.

Timir Baran Acharyya, deputy general manager, Gionee Smartphones, said they hoped to establish an enduring association with the club.

Ming, who is Lajong's managing director, said Lajong FC would look for talented footballers from other parts of the country, especially in states with negligible presence of football infrastructure.

Ming said Lajong has expanded its objective from regional to national and had been able to scout talents not only from the Northeast but budding footballers from states like Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

Match tickets: Shillong Lajong FC today launched vending of tickets for their I-League season opener against Royal Wahingdoh at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong on Sunday.

The match will be held from 4.30pm.