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The Indian Women’s League (IWL) is certainly on the rise, with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) restructuring the league to benefit the players and clubs. However, IWL clubs have now expressed concerns over AIFF’s lack of response to scheduling conflicts for the 2024-25 season.
The upcoming season, which will feature at least nine teams, is set to begin on October 25, 2024, and will run until April 30, 2025. Teams will play on a home-and-away basis, resulting in an extended league format with more games.
The issue lies in the potential overlap of competitions. The final round of the 29th Senior Women’s National Football Championship, which is contested by state associations, is set to begin on October 1 and end on October 15 and will involve many IWL players.
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Additionally, the SAFF Women’s Championship 2024, to be held in Nepal, will start immediately after the Senior Women’s National Football Championship on October 17 and will continue until October 30, overlapping with the IWL’s start date.
This overlap will hinder player availability for IWL clubs and disrupt for their pre-season preparations. Clubs are concerned about the lack of adequate pre-season training due to the competitions, which poses a risk to the players, especially given the extended duration of the IWL 2024-25 season.
The IWL clubs believe the AIFF must reschedule competitions to help them plan properly for the IWL season, which will feature two additional teams this year, including the promoted teams Sreebhumi FC and Nita Football Academy.
Odisha FC owner appeals to AIFF ahead of AFC Women’s Champions League participation
Not only are there scheduling conflicts between the IWL clubs and the AIFF but there also appears to be a hurdle regarding players’ participation in the inaugural AFC Champions League.
Odisha FC, winners of last season’s IWL, will be India’s representative in the competition and are poised to compete in the preliminary stage, with the draw scheduled for July 18.
Odisha FC owner Rohan Sharma has appealed to the AIFF to allow Indian women players to take leave from their government jobs to participate in the competition, as the squad submission deadline is July 15.
On social media platform X, he stated:
"I really need the AIFF’s help to assist us in getting some of our Indian women players permission to leave their Government jobs temporarily in order to play in the AFC (Champions League). Our deadline is July 15th and so far we are struggling. This is India’s debut and we are repping India. If we don’t get some of our starting players it’s going to harshly handicap our team. And we are trying our absolute best to build a competitive squad."
There appears to be considerable confusion regarding the AIFF’s management of these tournaments, creating challenges for IWL clubs. While the expansion is noteworthy, proactive measures are needed to fully support the clubs and ensure the well-being of the players, a request that is currently being stressed.
