The Indian Women’s football team is going to get a financial push from Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). The International governing body has promised to fund women's I-League in India.
“Over the past few years, FIFA has put in a lot of efforts into developing women’s football (soccer) and promoting gender equality. Our aim is to break down the gender barriers in soccer,” Marion Mayer-Vorfelder, FIFA’s head of events told Press Trust of India.
Considered to be a highly male-dominated sport, it was a real surprise when Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura of Senegal was appointed as the Secretary General of FIFA. Samoura is positive about FIFA’s effort in bringing gender equality to the game.
Samoura told the Press Trust of India,"They (AIFF) have been implementing FIFA's 'Live Your Goals' campaign for three years now and have reached out to thousands of female players."
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The major reason that restricts women from taking up football as a career is because of the lack of acknowledgement and money in it for them. Especially in India, women’s football stands far below as compared to men’s football. Lack of popularity of the sport amongst women also does little to adding more women into it.
“FIFA and the AIFF have also worked on capacity building to improve the level of the game, by organising coaching — courses for coaches in women’s soccer. In addition, the recently-launched women’s league will be partially financed by FIFA forward funding over the next three years,” said Mayer-Vorfelder.
With the women’s league taking shape, FIFA is helping in bringing in more talent from all directions into the sport. All India Football (Soccer) Federation launched its first-ever Indian Women's League to be housed at the Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi in January this year.
Picture credit- The Football mind
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