The 2016–17 Indian Women's League was the first season of the Indian Women's League, a women's football league in India. The season was scheduled to kick off with the preliminary rounds on 17 October 2016 in which the top two teams from the two groups qualified for the league proper.[1] In the final round four teams from qualifier joined by two direct entry teams. Eastern Sporting Union won the title in the inaugural season.
| Season | 2016–17 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Eastern Sporting Union 1st IWL title 1st Indian title |
| Matches played | 34 |
| Goals scored | 183 (5.38 per match) |
| Best Player | Thokchom Umapati Devi |
| Top goalscorer | Sanju Yadav (Alakhpura) Kamala Devi (Eastern Sporting Union) 15 goals |
2017–18 → All statistics correct as of 14 February 2017. | |
Preliminary round
Teams
| Group A | State | Group B | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alakhpura | Haryana | Eastern Sporting Union | Manipur |
| Bodyline | Maharashtra | Jeppiaar Institute | Pondicherry |
| Quartz | Kerala | KRYPHSA | Manipur |
| Rising Student | Odisha | Sudeva Moonlight | Delhi |
| Royal Wahingdoh | Meghalaya | Uttar Pradesh FC | Uttar Pradesh |
Eastern Sporting Union and Rising Student Club entered final rounds by topping their groups, and Alakhpura and Jeppiaar Institute as group runners-up.[2]
Teams
Team locations
| Team | State | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Sporting Union | Manipur | Preliminary |
| Rising Students | Odisha | Preliminary |
| Jeppiaar Institute | Puduchery | Preliminary |
| Alakhpura | Haryana | Preliminary |
| Pune City | Maharashtra | Direct |
| Aizawl | Mizoram | Direct |
Personnel
| Team | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Sporting Union |  Oinam Bembem Devi (player-manager) | |
| Rising Students | Gitanjali Khuntia | Sasmita Mallik |
| Jeppiaar Institute | Subramanian Mariappan | Sumithra Kamaraj |
| Alakhpura | Sonika Vijarnia | Sanju Yadav |
| Pune City | Kalpana Dass | Dalima Chhibber |
| Aizawl | K. Lalruaizeli | |
Final round
The final round will be held from January 28 to February 14 at the Ambedkar Stadium. The league proper will follow a round robin format with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals.[3]
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rising Students | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 3 | +17 | 12 | Semi Final |
| 2 | Eastern Sporting Union | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 4 | +11 | 12 | |
| 3 | Alakhpura | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 8 | |
| 4 | Pune City | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | −2 | 7 | |
| 5 | Jeppiaar Institute | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 18 | −13 | 4 | |
| 6 | Aizawl | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 22 | −17 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots
Knock-out Stage
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | |||
| Rising Student | 2–0 | FC Pune City | |
| Eastern Sporting Union | 4–1 | Alakhpura | |
| Final | |||
| Eastern Sporting Union | 3–0 | Rising Student | |
Season awards
The following awards were announced at the end of the season:[4]
- Emerging Player: Jabamani Tudu
- Most Valuable Player: Umapati Devi
- Top Scorer: Kamala Devi