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The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Thursday, announced the award winners in the recently concluded edition of the Indian Women's League (IWL). Odisha FC were crowned champions of the tournament and received a cash prize of ₹10,00,000.
Meanwhile, the runners-up Gokulam Kerala FC received a cash prize of ₹5,00,000. Sports Odisha received ₹50,000 for organizing the matches, while Odisha FC were awarded ₹50,000 for having the Best Media Operations in the 2023-24 season.
Two Odisha FC players and a couple of Gokulam Kerala FC players took home the individual player awards. All four players were rewarded with a trophy and a cash prize of ₹50,000.
Fazila Ikwaput was the Best Striker with 13 goals to her name and Hemam Shilky Devi was adjudged as the Best Defender of the Tournament. Meanwhile, Odisha FC's Shreya Hooda and Indumathi Kathiresan won the Best Goalkeeper and Best Midfielder awards, respectively.
Odisha FC's Indumathi Kathiresan, who won the best midfielder, was quoted as saying in the press release:
“I am extremely happy to win the award. But it is not an individual achievement. I wouldn’t have achieved it without the help of my teammates and coaches. We are like a family in Odisha FC. What gives me more pleasure is that I am the captain of Odisha FC this season.
“I think I did my job well as the captain. As the leader and one of the senior players, it was my duty to play well and guide the juniors. This season, we had lots of junior players. They might look at me as a role model and do well in the future. There lies my success."
Indumathi said there were a few challenges in the season.
“The most challenging was when two key players suffered an injury. Early in the season, players like Sweety (Devi) and Jasoda (Munda) got injured, but we were able to overcome the difficulties because of having good substitutes,” she said.
IWL 2023-24: List of all Award Winners
Winners: Odisha FC (Rs 10,00,000)
Runners-up: Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 5,00,000)
Best Match Organisation: Sports Odisha (Rs 50,000)
Participating Club with The Best Media Operations: Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)
Best Striker (13 goals): Fazila Ikwaput – Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 50,000)
Best Goalkeeper: Shreya Hooda – Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)
Best Defender: Hemam Shilky Devi – Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 50,000)
Best Midfielder: Indumathi Kathiresan – Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)
