The first edition of the Under-13 school league has been organized with the participation of 32 school teams. Football Delhi, Delhi Dynamos and CEQUIN, a Delhi-based NGO have come together to formulate and run this league.
Ten of these teams are from government schools (who have been trained by CEQUIN), while the rest are from private schools, making this an inclusive initiative. The league will feature a total of 384 players divided into 4 zones.
Prominent schools have come forward to support as venue partners, including Sanskriti School, Tagore International School and Maharaja Aggarsain Adarsh Public School. A total of seven match days, spread across 1 month will be conducted within the premises of the partner schools.
Top two teams from each group will play the quarter final matches and the grand finale is scheduled to be held at the Ambedkar Stadium, Delhi in February. Talent scouting will be done by Football Delhi for their Excellence Academy, with a view to hone potential talent.
According to Sara Abdullah Pilot, Chairperson of the Women’s Committee at the AIFF, “by promoting football for girls we are shattering gender stereotypes, bringing girls out of their homes and building their leadership. The growing popularity of women’s football across the globe presents an exciting possibility to kick start equality and bridge the gap of gender inequality.”
Ashish Shah, CEO, Delhi Dynamos, says, “Delhi Dynamos has always been a big advocate of inclusivity in sport and we are glad to be joining hands with CEQUIN and Football Delhi for this exciting and unique initiative. Together we hope to provide a strong platform for these young girls in the field of football and may it be the stepping stone they need to excel in football.”