Financial grant to IWL clubs will mitigate lot of hardships faced: Valanka Alemao

Panaji: The All India Football Federation’s decision to provide a grant of Rs 25 lakh to Indian Women’s League (IWL) will do the clubs a world of good, said chairperson of the women’s football committee Valanka Alemao.

Clubs participating in the IWL, the top-tier league for women’s football in the country, are struggling to generate sponsorships and are certain to feel the burden of the AIFF’s decision to introduce a salary cap with teams having to pay Rs 3.2 lakh each to 10 home-grown players.

While the decision has been cheered by women footballers, clubs have protested, insisting that “the time for such a move is yet to come.” However, the AIFF’s recent decision to provide Rs 25 lakh to each of the IWL clubs could help soften the blow.

“I am very grateful to all of you for sanctioning a grant of Rs 25 lakh to each of the IWL clubs as it will mitigate a lot of the hardships faced by them,” Valanka wrote in a recent letter to AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.

The chairperson of the AIFF’s women’s football committee thanked Chaubey for “taking some very important decisions.”

The decisions include two tiers – IWL with eight teams playing on a home-and-away basis, and a second division, which will comprise the remaining eight teams from the 2022-23 IWL season and the state league winners.

“The top two teams of the second division being promoted to the 2024-25 IWL will ensure close competition and improved performances.

“I am also very thankful to all of you for expanding the IWL 2023-24 season which has been scheduled to be held from November 18, 2023 to March 16, 2024. The introduction of club licensing before the season starts as per AFC norms in order to meet the AFC requirements which will come into effect from the 2024-25 season for the AFC Women’s Club Championship is also a very positive move to bring in professionalism,” said Valanka.

The CEO of Churchill Brothers, who won the women’s league in Goa and qualified for IWL last season, said the decisions will have positively far-reaching effects and “India’s women’s football will be propelled into a different and higher orbit in the near future.”


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