India’s First All-women’s Semi-pro League Launched to Empower Women to Break Barriers

Adidas India announced the launch of India’s first ever semi-professional football league for women under the adidas Creators platform.

The adidas Creators football platform was established in 2018 in Delhi-NCR with an aim to give football enthusiasts an authentic playing experience. With its success in Delhi-NCR, the league expanded to Mumbai earlier this year. To continue promoting football at grassroots, adidas is now extending the league to include women footballers.

Strongly committed to enable women to break barriers in sport and nurture their individual dreams, the adidas Creators football league for women features semi-professional footballers from varied walks of life coming together to participate and kick off a new trend in grassroots football in India. Challenging conventional boundaries with an aim to give women a chance to experience the sport on and off the field, adidas Creators for Women shall become the go-to platform for aspiring women football players.

The adidas Creators for women comprises of 16 women’s teams with a squad of 22 semi-professional football players selected through a draft process. All games follow a 10 v 10 format spanning 60 minutes and follow FIFA rules and regulations thereby giving creators an authentic football experience. The league shall give an in-depth insight into each game with highlights and match reports being shared with the women’s teams to enable them to perform better with each game.

Commenting on the announcement, Sharad Singla, Director – Brand Marketing – adidas India, said, “At adidas, we believe that sport has the power to change lives, and we have always been at the forefront of promoting sport and empowering athletes. Our partnerships with Hima Das and Swapna Barman are testaments of our continuous endeavor to empower women to take to sport and excel in their chosen sport. A crucial component of our ‘Creator’ culture is to inspire athletes across each sport and galvanize them to break stereotypes. Football is now a key part of our sporting ecosystem and we would like to see more women gravitate towards it to realize and fulfil their passion for the game.”

Afhsan Ashiq, captain and goalkeeper of the J&K women’s football team and now playing in the adidas Creators for women, said, “I am extremely thrilled to be a part of this league. Football has always been my first love, it is a beautiful game and knows no gender boundaries. I know many passionate women footballers across the country and a befitting avenue to nurture the love for this sport was long overdue. It is indeed a great initiative by adidas to give young women footballers an opportunity to experience authentic football and live their football dreams.”

The league is being played at St. Stanislaus School, Mumbai. The finale is scheduled in April, wherein the winning team shall take home the title and claim the bragging rights as the first and the best women’s football team in Mumbai.

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