AIFF Media Team

DHAKA: The India girls are all set to kick off their SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship with an opening fixture against Sri Lanka on Monday, December 13,2021, tomorrow at the Bir Sherestha Shadeed Shiapi Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Dhaka. The match will kick off at 6:30 PM IST and will be streamed live on the T Sports official YouTube channel.

On the eve of the match, Head Coach Alex Ambrose is looking forward to a competitive tournament and said, “We have a very young squad and there are eleven players in this squad who were in the U-15 team that won the SAFF U-15 Championship”.

Ambrose also wants to give his players equal opportunities in this championship. “We will be giving all players the opportunity to play and experience the importance of development through tournaments like these. All teams are equally competitive and we need to work hard to make a good mark in the tournament”, he stated.

“There is absolutely no pressure on the players. We just want them to perform well, enjoy their football and have a good championship”, he informed ahead of the match.

He also expressed his views on developing the youth structure in the game of football and how important it is for the players and said, “Developing the players is more important in youth tournaments than winning the match.”

With the AFC Asian Cup 2022 knocking at the door, the coach wants football to grow. “India is hosting the AFC Asian Cup in 2022 and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup and we want football to grow in this part of the region so that matches are competitive and more spectators come to the stadium”, he concluded.