Kozhikode, July 15: The All India Football Federation has nominated Gokulam Kerala FC for the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2021.
Gokulam are the reigning champions in the last edition of the Indian Women’s League. AIFF has postponed the fifth edition of the Hero IWL beyond the proposed window and the football governing body has nominated the champion club from the season 19-20.
“We are honoured to be nominated by the AIFF. We are happy that our women’s team will play the continental championship before our men’s team. We will be starting our camp soon and we will try to land the first AFC cup to India,” said Gokulam Gopalan, the chairman of Gokulam Kerala FC.
“We will continue in investing in women’s football. We want our women team to lift the AFC trophy first and set an example for our men’s team,” said Gokulam Gopalan.
“GKFC have always been supporting women’s football India and we believe our entry to the continental cup will motivate more girls to take up this beautiful game. We believe that if we win the title it will make our women flagbearers of the country in Asian football and our aim is to do our best,” said VC Praveen, the president of the GKFC.
Gokulam Kerala FC have been a torchbearer of women’s football in the country since its inception. The club has participated in all the IWL editions after the club was formed. And it is the only club from the ILeague/Indian Super League to participate in the Hero Indian Women’s League until now.
With the nomination, the club has become the first club from the country to get entry to both the men’s and women’s continental championship. GKFC men team had gained entry to participate in AFC Cup by virtue of winning the ILeague 2020-21 edition.
