Kerala Blasters FC announce the launch of their senior women's team
Indian Super League heavyweights Kerala Blasters FC have announced the launch of their senior women's team on Monday (July 25). The Tuskers posted an introductory video on their official Twitter handle to mark their venture into women's football.
In a statement, the Blasters revealed that the club's desire to enter women's football has been a clear and long-term one. KBFC's vision is to contribute more local players to the national squad. Apart from the Indian internationals, the club will be hoping to push more local talent through their squad.
KBFC Women will participate in the upcoming Kerala Women's League and attempt to qualify for the Indian Women's League through the State Qualifiers. The club will also aim to represent the country at the AFC level in the next two to three years.
ഒരു പുതിയ തുടക്കം! 💛
Our game is for everyone.
We, at Kerala Blasters Football Club, are delighted to announce the formation of our women's team.
#ഒരുപുതിയതുടക്കം #YennumYellow #KBFC #കേരളബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്സ് https://t.co/aWPJwXK8GD
Earlier in the year, Kerala Blasters appointed Rajah Rizwan as their women’s team director. He was given the responsibility of leading the development, implementation and launch of the Kerala Blasters Women’s Team. In a press release, Rizwan opened up about the goal of the club's women's wing and said:
“For Kerala Blasters FC, this project has been in the works for quite a while. As of today, Kerala has no representation in the Indian national team. This scenario should be changed.
"We have the vision to work towards that and develop our players into that caliber. KBFC contributing to that will be huge and as a club, our influence towards that will be very crucial."
KBFC's Young Blasters Sporthood program has witnessed girls participating in numbers and their women's team will give these athletes a platform to play at district and state level. The club stated that the young talents may be promoted to the senior team as well.
The Kerala Women's League will kick off in August. Ahead of the competition, the KBFC women's team will conduct their training sessions at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor.
Meanwhile, the club has roped in coach and former player Shereef Khan AV as their first head coach of the women’s team on a long-term contract. The club, however, are yet to announce their full squad for the upcoming tournament.