Naveen urges AIFF prez to boost women’s football

Bhubaneswar: Kalyan Chaubey, the president of All India Football Federation (AIFF), and secretary general Shaji Prabhakaran on Wednesday called on chief minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas.
During the meeting, the chief minister sought the AIFF’s cooperation in improving women’s football in the state and to restart the Kalinga Cup football tournament.
“Pleasure meeting Shri Kalyan Chaubey, President of @IndianFootball & General Secy Shri @Shaji4Football. Sought support for growth of womens football in #Odisha & restarting of Kalinga Cup Football. Thanked them for the appreciation for #Odishas illustrious sporting ecosystem,” the chief minister tweeted.
Later, the AIFF officials visited the Kalinga Stadium to discuss preparations for the forthcoming FIFA U-17 women’s World Cup and the overall development of football in the state. Sports secretary R Vineel Krishna briefed them about the state’s preparedness.
The Kalinga Stadium is one of the three venues for the football tournament to be held from October 11 to 30. It will host India’s group games against the United States, Morocco and Brazil on October 11, 14 and 17, respectively. The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa and DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai are the two other venues.
The state government has spent Rs 70 crore to develop the football turn at the Kalinga Stadium and five practice pitches in the city, including one artificial grass turf for practice.