Saturday, Aug 19, 2023 08:30 [IST]
Last Update: Saturday, Aug 19, 2023 02:59 [IST]
GANGTOK,: The Sikkim Women’s Super League-2023 is set to commence on August 21 at Paljor Stadium here. The league is being organized by Sikkim Football Association (SFA) in collaboration with State Sports department.
The objective of the league is to provide a platform for women football players in Sikkim to showcase their talents and skills.
The league will feature six teams, namely, Young Girls FC (Gyalshing), Pakyong United FC, Northerners Girls FC, Soreng Girls Academy, Dentam Girls Academy and Southerners Girls (Namchi).
SFA general secretary Phurba Sherpa explained that while teams participating in the Sikkim Women’s Super League are required to be centrally registered with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), certain relaxations have been granted for the first edition of the league. Teams are allowed a maximum of 25 players, including five players from outside the State. The playing eleven should consist of at least eight local players.
The league is designed for each team to play at least five matches.
The winners of the Sikkim Women’s Super League-2023 will be nominated to participate in the Indian Women's League.
SFA President Menla Ethenpa said the league will offer women players the opportunity to excel and gain recognition, as well as address the absence of a well-established women's football team in the State.
“We have our women footballers in the national and international teams but we lack a proper State women's team,” said Ethenpa.
Additionally, the SFA president called for financial support from the Sports department and the State government to aid men’s and women’s clubs from Sikkim that are chosen to participate in national leagues. He proposed allocating Rs. 50 lakh to the winning teams of the Sikkim Premier Division League and Sikkim Women's Super League, with the aim of enabling these clubs to regularly participate in national leagues.
Pushpa Gurung, an SFA brand ambassador appointed by the AIFF, praised the SFA's efforts in organizing the women's league and emphasized the importance of regular women's competitions to encourage and promote women's football in the State.
Likewise, the FC Bayern U16 Youth Cup is scheduled to begin on August 20, featuring 16 teams. The winners and runners-up of this tournament will have the opportunity to travel to Goa for player selection, with a chance to represent Team India in the FC Bayern World Finals in Munich.
