India doesn’t appear as the first name on the list when it comes to football. India has hardly ever been a part of the discussion when it comes to Indian Women Football. But now that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Indian football was impressive in 2019, and women were an essential part of it.
Growth has been seemingly unstoppable throughout the last couple of seasons and only strengthened in 2020. A month and a half into the new year, we saw women hit an almost unattainable height.
Women’s football has recently become the buzzword in the Indian football circle, with things hardly slowing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even with all else coming to a halt.
It all began with the nation securing the rights to host last year’s 2020 FIFA U-17 World Cup. This means India will now host the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic twice.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) followed this by making fielding a women’s team part of the requirements for club licensing.
Increased participation in Indian Women Football:
President Praful Patel of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said the local organizing committee was ready to start hosting the 2022 edition of the World Cup.
Following discussions with FIFA, we decided that hosting the tournament without appropriate qualifications would lead to greater confusion, and in those circumstances, it would have taken away from our mission of improving and supporting women’s football by hosting the competition.
– Praful Patel
Rangers Women FC forward Bala Devi explained during a freewheeling AIFF TV chat.
“Earlier, we didn’t see many girls play football. Now, the numbers have gone up significantly. In the FIFA U-17 World Cup, more girls from various countries will come to India and our girls will get an opportunity to rub shoulders with the world’s best. That will help change the overall mind-set,”
– Bala Devi
It’ll make India shine brighter (FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup) All the boys who played in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup are now playing in the top-level league. This will give the players a fair chance to shine globally.
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