Published 16:21 IST, September 24th 2019
Khelo India: Development of Women's Football is top priority
KIGL is all set to be launched by Khelo India, the flagship scheme of SAI. The first league of KIGL will be the Khelo India Girls Football league (KIGFL)
Khelo India Girls League (KIGL) is all set to be launched by Khelo India, the flagship scheme of Sports Authority of India (SAI), The KIGL will consist of all sports and is exclusive for the girl child. The first league of KIGL will be the Khelo India Girls Football League (KIGFL), which will not only come under but further will be managed and organised by All India Football Federation (AIFF).
'In India, the culture of sports is still very nascent'
Speaking about KIGL, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Kiren Rijiju said, “Our women athletes are doing very well across all sports, and there are so many more talented girls who can be identified at a young age and groomed to become professional sportspersons. In India, the culture of sports is still very nascent. So providing a special platform to the girl athlete is important so that parents and children both feel motivated to take up sports at a young age. I am very happy that AIFF has already decided to partner with us to organize the football league for girls. This is the start, and we will soon have leagues in other sports too.”
'Development of Women's Football top of our priority list'
As of now, KIGL is being organised for the U-17 age group, however, AIFF plans to include two more age categories U-15 and U-13 in the next two years. "Development of Women's Football in India stays on top of our priority list. With the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup coming up in 2020, we intend to galvanise the face of Women's football in India and encourage more girls to take up the sport," AIFF quoted its president Praful Patel, as saying.
"It is a first-of-its-kind initiative being taken by the Government of India and AIFF, and this will help promote the sport and identify raw talent from across the country in a big way. After the first edition, we intend to scale up the league both in terms of age group and scope of operations so that the maximum number of girls can participate," he added.
League will be sponsored by SAI
The league will be sponsored by SAI, but to ensure financial viability in the long run, local organisers will also be allowed to raise sponsorship for local matches, as per approved guidelines of the government.
Updated 17:05 IST, September 24th 2019