 "National Women's Hockey League 2024-2025: Format, Schedule, Venue — All You Need To Know")
Women’s hockey in India is set for a mega revolution with Hockey India’s (HI) inaugural National Women’s Hockey League to start this month. With the Indian women’s hockey team failing to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 after a heroic fourth-placed finish at the Tokyo Games, the National Women’s Hockey League is a necessary step.
Hockey India announced the league earlier in the month which as per its release “is the first domestic women’s league of its kind in India, promising an exhilarating showcase of talent and skill. Aiming to provide a platform for emerging athletes and elevate the stature of women’s hockey in the country, the league will witness fierce competition among the top state teams that finished in top eight at the marquee 14th Hockey India Senior Women’s National Championships.”
Hockey India also added that the league will be used as a scouting platform for picking players for the national team.
Here’s everything you need to know about the National Women’s Hockey League:
Format
The National Women’s Hockey League will be played in two phases with the first phase including the state teams that finished in the top eight at the 14th Hockey India Senior Women’s National Championships. All teams in Phase 1 have been drawn into a single pool and each team will play against each other once.
The league will also include U-21 players to focus on grassroots development and “future generations of hockey stars”.
Teams
Below are the eight teams for Phase 1 of the National Women’s Hockey League.
Hockey Haryana
Hockey Maharashtra
Hockey Jharkhand (Host)
Hockey Madhya Pradesh
Hockey Bengal
Hockey Mizoram
Manipur Hockey
Hockey Association of Odisha
Dates
Phase 1 of the league will be held in Ranchi from 30th April to 9th May 2024.
Venue
All matches during Phase 1 will be hosted at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.
Schedule
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