Delhi : Garhwal United FC Women, a Delhi-based football team, have made history by earning promotion to India’s top division, the Indian Women’s League (IWL), after winning the 2024-25 IWL 2 championship with a perfect record. The team, consisting of 25 young female footballers, shares just seven rooms in a Noida apartment, where they live, cook, and train together without major sponsors, camps abroad, or significant media attention.
Led by coach Akshay Unni, who devised a five-year plan that succeeded a year ahead of schedule, Garhwal United went unbeaten this season—all 24 matches across three tournaments—after finishing second-last in the Delhi Women’s League only four years ago. Their IWL 2 campaign was dominant: eight wins in eight matches, 28 goals scored and just one conceded, with 17-year-old Lhingdeikim finishing as top scorer with 12 goals. The squad’s unity and resilience have powered their rapid transformation into national contenders—preparing now to compete with India’s best women’s teams for the first time ever.
Discussion about this post