Durand Cup is set to introduce the women’s tournament from the next edition | Football News
Kolkata: Asia’s oldest football tournament – Durand Cup – will host its 135th edition when Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC take the field at the Salt Lake Stadium in the first derby of the season on Saturday.However, in the 134 years of the tournament’s existence, women’s football in India has grown by leaps and bounds, and at the end of the Durand Cup Trophy Tour in the city on Wednesday, the organizers of the prestigious competition – the Indian Armed Forces – expressed their enthusiasm to include the women’s competition in the coming years.At the ceremonial function and news conference at AOI Vijay Durg, where the three iconic trophies of the tournament were displayed, Major General Dinesh Kumar Singh, vice-chairman of the Durand Cup Organizing Committee, said that they are thinking of introducing a women’s tournament along with the men’s event in the near future.“Why were the girls left behind?” was the question on their minds six months ago when they began preparing for the upcoming season, Singh said.“So, this is something that we already thought about. The issue is how many venues and what kind of facilities (will be available) for it. So maybe in the next edition there might be a truncated or smaller version of the girls’ event,” he added.To increase expectations, a special women’s exhibition game was organized jointly by the Armed Forces of India and the government of Manipur at the SAI Ground in Takyel, Imphal, in the build-up to the main competition.This time, the tournament will see 24 men’s teams competing across five venues, with Ranchi being the latest addition and the Assam games returning to Guwahati after two editions in Kokrajhar.“We have seen the enthusiasm of the people of Kokrajhar. But the state government wants to bring it back to Guwahati for ease of organization,” said Lieutenant General Gambhir Singh, Chief of Staff, Headquarters Eastern Command, and chairman of the Organizing Committee.Among the dignitaries of the event is the chief guest, Dr. Indranil Khan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Departments of Youth Services and Sports and Consumer Affairs of the West Bengal government.“Recently FIFA World Cupwe all support clubs from all over the world. Now is the time to unite behind Indian football and our own players,” Khan said.Meanwhile, Ranchi will host the first ever Durand Cup match on Sunday, when Jamshedpur FC take on Defenders FC at the Birsa Munda Stadium. Defending champions NorthEast United FC will begin their title defense against Bodoland FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on August 1. Other cities hosting the premier competition are the football-crazy northeastern cities of Shillong and Imphal.
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