AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) organized the first Club Licensing Workshop for teams participating in the Hero Indian Women's League (Hero IWL), which was conducted virtually on Thursday (June 10, 2021) and saw 37 representatives from 16 clubs across the country take part.

It kicked off with opening remarks from Mr. Sunando Dhar, CEO Leagues, AIFF, as he emphasized the positive developments that have taken place since the implementation of the Club Licensing system for men's clubs. He told the participants about the time when the Club Licensing was implemented for the teams participating the Hero I-League in 2013 and how it has helped take Indian football forward together since then.

Additionally, he detailed to the participants how it has brought the much-needed structure to Indian Football and has taken Youth Development to the level where it is today.

Moreover, Mr. Dhar briefed the clubs about the planned AFC Women’s Champions League, which is slated for 2023 and the AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 Pilot Tournament, which is going to take place in November next year.

The tournament will feature eight teams from eight different nations, where Group A (East) will consist of representative clubs from Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, while Group B (West) is set to feature a club each from India, IR Iran, Jordan and Uzbekistan. India will be represented by the Hero IWL champions.

During the workshop, the clubs were taken through a detailed presentation covering the various elements of Club Licensing. At the end, the floor was opened for the Q&A and feedback session for the clubs.

Mr. Dhar expressed his delight at seeing the enthusiasm from the clubs and stated that the upcoming AFC Women's Club Championship 2021 Pilot Tournament will help 'strengthen' the women's football ecosystem in India.

"This was the first time that such a workshop was conducted for the Hero IWL clubs and the response we received from them was excellent. The upcoming tournament next year, coupled with the soft implementation of the AFC Women's Club Licensing System is a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the ecosystem of women’s football and take it to new heights," he averred.