IWL: Less than two weeks ago, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had announced a slew of measures aimed at boosting women’s football in India, including revamping the Indian Women’s League IWL and introducing a minimum wage of INR 3.2 lakh for players on an annual contract. However, the opening day of the IWL painted a different picture. Matches kicked off at 8 am without a broadcaster, and only evening matches, less than half in the league, would be streamed on the federation’s YouTube channel. AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey, during his visit to Goa, admitted that 8 am is not an ideal time to be playing matches but that they had to schedule it due to time constraints.
Here are some highlights from what he said: IWL Should Women’s Football Be Given More Respect? AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey Weighs In
- In India, football games during the months of April and May are not ideal to be played during the day.
- AIFF is focusing on quality rather than quantity when it comes to production quality for match coverage. The federation is covering 34 matches with great quality even though they could have covered all matches within the same budget.
- Clubs got to know that only evening matches are being streamed less than 24 hours before the league opener.
- Next season’s IWL and Super Cup will be different. The AIFF will finish everything within the second week of April, and the tournaments will be revamped.
- The Super Cup faced several issues this month, as not every club took the tournament seriously. Chaubey said that April-May is not the time in India to play football.
While the minimum wage directive is a welcome move, the clubs will also need some incentive to continue investing in the process. With broadcasting schedules still haywire, a paltry INR 10 lakh prize money for the league winners, and wretched playing conditions, AIFF will have a lot of wrongs to right if they want to retain the interest of stakeholders.
It’s important to give women’s football the respect it deserves. Here’s hoping that the AIFF can come up with a sustainable solution for women’s football and give the players a platform to shine.
Read more : AIFF Bars Foreign Players from City, State, and District Leagues Starting June 1
