The Indian Women’s League (IWL) has completed nearly a decade since its inception, and its journey from a short-term experimental tournament to a structured professional competition mirrors the broader evolution of women’s football in India.
Introduced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in 2016, the IWL was conceived to fill a long-standing void the absence of a sustainable, club-based women’s football league beyond the Senior Women’s National Championship .
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The IWL began cautiously. The inaugural 2016–17 season featured just six teams and was hosted in a centralized format in New Delhi. This phase was less about commercial success and more about testing viability. Eastern Sporting Union (ESU) from Manipur emerged as the first champions, led by the iconic Oinam Bembem Devi. Their title was symbolic, reaffirming Manipur’s long-standing influence on Indian women’s football.
The following seasons saw incremental growth. Rising Students Club from Odisha claimed the 2017–18 title, breaking the Northeast’s early dominance and highlighting Odisha’s growing investment in women’s football. By 2018–19, the league expanded to 12 teams, and Sethu FC from Tamil Nadu lifted the trophy, marking the IWL’s first champion from southern India. Bala Devi’s record-breaking 26-goal season that year underlined the widening gap between semi-professional and professionally run clubs.
Gokulam Kerala and the Shift to Professionalism (2019–2023)
The league’s defining transformation came with the rise of Gokulam Kerala FC. While they entered the IWL earlier, their 2019–20 title signaled a new professional benchmark. Gokulam invested in long-term player contracts, full-time coaching staff, sports science, and international recruitment a rarity in Indian women’s football at the time.
Their approach paid dividends. Led by Nepalese striker Sabitra Bhandari, Gokulam won the 2019–20 title and then survived the COVID-19 disruption better than most clubs. When the league resumed in 2021–22, Gokulam were a step ahead, winning consecutive titles in 2021–22 and 2022–23 and establishing a historic 21-match winning streak. This era firmly positioned them as the league’s dominant force and India’s representative at the continental level.
A major structural shift occurred in 2023–24 when the AIFF introduced a home-and-away league format. This move aligned the IWL with global standards and aimed to build local fan bases, improve match-day operations, and test clubs logistically. Odisha FC capitalized immediately, ending Gokulam’s dominance to become the first champions of the home-and-away era.
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However, the volatility of professionalism was quickly exposed. Odisha FC, despite being defending champions, were relegated in the 2024–25 season a stark reminder that success now depended on squad depth, tactical evolution, and institutional stability.
The 2024–25 season belonged to East Bengal FC. One of India’s most historic clubs, East Bengal built a defensively solid side complemented by efficient attacking options. They lost just once in the season and clinched their maiden IWL title with a narrow win over Odisha FC. Their triumph symbolized the growing involvement of legacy men’s clubs in the women’s game, a crucial factor for long-term sustainability.
As the league matured, so did individual performance standards. Players like Fazila Ikwaput redefined the striker’s role with back-to-back Golden Boots, while goalkeepers such as Elangbam Panthoi Chanu showcased elite shot-stopping and game management. The emergence of young defenders and midfielders capable of ball progression reflected improved coaching and year-round training structures.
AIFF’s annual awards further highlighted the league’s diversity, with winners emerging from Telangana, Manipur, Kerala, and West Bengal evidence that elite talent is no longer confined to traditional strongholds.
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Beyond results, the IWL’s evolution has been shaped by administrative reforms. The AIFF Women’s Football Committee prioritized safeguarding protocols, coaching development, and referee pathways. Crucially, IWL champions now earn a pathway to AFC women’s club competitions, integrating Indian clubs into the Asian football ecosystem and raising professional expectations.
As the IWL approaches its tenth season, the focus has shifted from survival to consolidation. The introduction of a second tier, continued investment from historic clubs, and alignment with national team calendars indicate a league thinking long-term. While challenges around finances, broadcasting, and grassroots integration remain, the IWL has proven it can produce quality football, competitive balance, and continental relevance.
From a three-week tournament to a professional ecosystem, the Indian Women’s League has moved beyond experimentation. The task now is to ensure that professionalism becomes the norm not the exception in the next decade of Indian women’s football.
