Minimum Wage Announced For Women Football Players To Encourage Aspiring Players

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Friday announced that the existing women’s football structure would be revamped and a minimum wage will be guaranteed to those who participate in the Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL).

It also mandates that the top eight teams participating in the IWL have a minimum of 10 Indian players on an annual contract worth a minimum of Rs. 3.2 lakhs. The decision was implemented at the federation’s executive committee meeting on Friday.

Ten teams in the top division, followed by two other divisions, will play in the upcoming 2024–25 IWL season. There will be a four-tier league in 2025–26, with state leagues from across the country making up the last tier.

AIFF Minimum Wage For Women Players

AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey said that the committee believes that these decisions will attract more women to play football and will aid in the growth of women’s football. "We want women’s football in India to reach the global level," said Chaubey. The committee also plans to introduce a university league to run parallel with the IWL.

AIFF secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran said that they are aiming to start with 8–16 teams. They are already communicating with private universities to be a part of this league and are confident about starting it this season. "It’ll be an opportunity for women footballers to be associated with a university and also enhance their education, Prabhakaran said.

AIFF also announced a youth development platform called "Project Diamond" that would aggregate the best players from ISL, I-League, and AIFF Elite clubs. This move aims to form a group of players from whom a star player could possibly emerge.

The committee also announced that the public sector undertaking (PSU) clubs would make a comeback to form a semi-professional or amateur league. This will open the doors for footballers in the lower rungs to get jobs with PSY and to get a two-year stop on international players in I-League 2 and state leagues. This will provide opportunities for local players to play key roles across the field.

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