"We want more girls to play football," Shaji Prabhakaran on FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup

Indian football has witnessed a roller-coaster journey and monumental changes in the past few months. From FIFA banning India for a brief period of time to having its first player president, it has been nothing short of historic.

With a new administration coming on the horizon, the fans are expecting a lot and especially when it comes to positive changes. One of the very first tasks is to successfully organise the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup.

The tournament is scheduled from 11th October 2022 to 30th October 2022. It will be hosted in three different cities and India will play all the games in Bhubaneswar.

At the pre-tournament press conference of the U-17 Women's World Cup, The Bridge spoke to Shaji Prabhakaran, General Secretary of AIFF.

Here are the excerpts from the interview:

How do you plan to organize state football in India?

You see our roadmap, which we are working on, that would define that aspect. And we also have a development committee which will also see and decide what the strategies are, and what are the way forward in developing football at the state level. In the past month, we have travelled to multiple states and discussed with the stakeholders there. I am positive that we are looking at an organized league system in India in every state.

So what are the goals India wants to achieve with the upcoming under-17 women's World Cup?

We don't have very lofty goals with respect to this tournament. Our goals are very simple and straightforward. The first one is to encourage girls to take up this sport and we are here to provide the right opportunities.

The second objective is by successfully organizing this tournament we show the world that India is capable of hosting such tournaments and creating the right legacies. A message of intent that India is ready to be on the stage of global football.

Any updates on the I-League and the Indian Women's League?

Our league committee is working on that and I can assure you that in the upcoming weeks, we will make announcements about it. A top-level women's league is our priority and des[pite the time constraint, we are working on it to make it possible.

How is India planning to invest in the youth?

Our boys are doing pretty well in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup qualifiers. We are working on a future plan after disbanding the Indian Arrows. By the end of December, we will have a very clear idea and execution of everything related to the youth.

Since coming into power, Kalyan Chaubey-led AIFF governing body is meeting people across India and the world. There have been multiple agreements, partnerships and deals which paint a good picture at the moment. The next few months will be crucial for the new AIFF body.