NEW DELHI: An Indian side is set to feature in the inaugural AFC Women's Club Championship, a pilot tournament the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) will kick off this year. With the country set to host two major international events — the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2022 and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 - an Indian club competing in the eight-team tournament will give a "huge boost" to women's football in the country.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a statement on Tuesday that, "The tournament will feature eight teams from eight different nations and will be played between October 30 to November 14, 2021.
"Group A (East) will consist of representative clubs from Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, while Group B (West) is set to feature a club each from India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan and Uzbekistan, wherein India are to be represented by the Hero Indian Women's League champions," the AIFF said.
"An Indian club playing in the AFC Women's Club Championship is a great opportunity to boost the growth of women's football in India. We already have two International events — the AFC Women's Asian Cup, and the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup lined up in 2022. As a prelude to that, Indian representation in the Club Championship will further redefine women's football in India to a large extent," AIFF general secretary Kushal Das said.
The AFC will also have a soft implementation of the AFC Women's Club Licensing System in order to prepare clubs and member associations ahead of the planned AFC Women's Champions League in 2023. IANS