AIFF League Committee announces tentative dates for IWL and Club Futsal Championship

The All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) League Committee held a meeting on Friday to discuss a number of important issues at hand. The meeting was chaired by AIFF Senior Vice President and League Committee Chairman Subrata Dutta and was attended by AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das and League CEO Sunando Dhar amongst others.

The committee announced that the Indian Women’s League (IWL) will remain an integral part of the AIFF competition calendar and will be held before May 2021. However, owing to the pandemic situation, the committee suggested relaxation of the rules of participation for the same. Talks are currently ongoing with the state federations that are interested in hosting the 2020-21 edition of the league.

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In the same meeting, it was also decided that the 2nd Division League will be held in a centralized venue in April/May 2021. Moreover, after being postponed due to the pandemic, the AIFF Club Futsal Championship can finally be held in June or July of this year with state associations given a deadline till June 2021 to conduct their own Futsal leagues. The champions of the state leagues would be granted an entry into the AIFF Championship. Furthermore, Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League clubs will be invited to participate in the championship.

The AIFF has also stated that it will approach the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to liaise with the education ministry for the participation of CBSE and ICSE schools in the Golden Baby League. The state associations will also be tasked with ensuring participation from schools affiliated to the state education boards. In his vote of thanks, Subrata Dutta said, “For the country’s football to develop, the state associations need to develop their own football. In today’s meeting, we felt the need for involvement of state associations in a broader and effective manner. If the states perform better, it will help the holistic development of Indian football.”