Football
IWL winner Gokulam Kerala FC felicitated during I-League game
Gokulam Kerala FC, the winners of this year’s Indian Women’s League, were felicitated and honoured by the management during an I-league encounter between the Gokulam men’s team and Punjab FC at the Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode.
The Women had defeated KRYPHSA 3-2 in the finals of the fourth edition of the IWL, following which the Gokulam club wanted to felicitate the side in front of the home crowd. They had become the first Kerala team to win the national league title. At half-time during the I-League match on Saturday, the members of the victorious side took the field and unveiled the trophy to the crowd amid applause. Former Indian captains, I. Vijayan and U. Sharaf Ali, were present during occasion as well.
“It was a great gesture by the Gokulam management and I don’t think anything like this happened before in Indian football,” Gokulam’s goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan told Sportstar. “I feel proud to have been part of this team.”
? CHAMPIONS OF INDIA ?
?When the champions took the centre stage at the EMS Corporation stadium?⚡️???#Malabarians #GKFC #ShePower #Champions #IWLChampions pic.twitter.com/dQ4zrMBOaN
— Gokulam Kerala FC (@GokulamKeralaFC) March 1, 2020
“It is a great honour for us that Gokulam have won the title. This is another feather in our cap and we would like to make it a big event. So we have decided to felicitate the team during our men’s team I-League match,” Gokulam Gopalan, the chairman of Gokulam Kerala FC had said before the event.
“We have made a major breakthrough in women’s football. This win will attract more players and we want to make the state a powerhouse in Indian football,” he said.
The club had also printed the pictures of the women players on the match tickets for the game between Punjab and Gokulam.
“We feel very happy about the gesture of our club. We are all excited about the function. We feel proud to be the champions of India and now we will be honoured in front of a jam-packed stadium during a men’s match. This is a huge step for women’s football in India,” said women's captain Michel Margaret Castanha.