Odisha Football Club have announced that the their senior women’s team, Odisha FC Women, will participate in their first-ever Hero Indian Women’s League (IWL) campaign this year. The club confirmed the same via a press conference at the Kalinga Stadium.
Odisha FC Women qualified for the 2023 Hero IWL by winning the Odisha Women’s League (OWL), going unbeaten in the ten games they played. Their line-up features the likes of former India captain Bala Devi, Brazilian defender Cynthia dos Santos, and Ghana international Faustina Akpo. Dos Santos is set to be the first-ever Brazilian to play in the Hero IWL. The team also have a strong base of local players (13 from the state of Odisha), including Pyari Xaxa, Juli Kishan and Manisa Panna.
The Hero Indian Women’s League, founded in 2016, is India’s first professional football league for women. With 16 teams from across the country participating, the 2023 edition will be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The winner of the Hero IWL will get a chance to represent India in the AFC Women’s Club Championship, Asia’s top-tier women’s club football competition.
Hero IWL 2023 will consist of two groups, Groups A and B, with eight teams in each group. Four teams from each group will qualify for the knockout round consisting of single-leg quarter-final, semi-final and the final.
Odisha FC Women have been drawn into Group B.
Also read: A brief rundown on the 2022-23 Indian Women’s League teams
Odisha FC Women Squad
Arifa Zaheer Sayed, Grace Hauhnar, Sonali Chemate, Shreya Hooda, Pyari Xaxa, Juli Kishan, Jasoda Munda, Karishma Oram, Satyabati Khadia, Sumitra Xalxo, Bannya Kabiraj, Malati Munda, Deepa Nayak, Sasmita Parida, Susmita Tanty, Karthika Angamuthu, Sweety Devi, Munica Minz, Anju Tamang, Sradhanjali Panda, Payal Basude, N Bala Devi, Serto Lynda Kom, Faustina Akpo, Cynthia dos Santos, Manisa Panna
Group B Teams
Odisha FC, Sethu FC (Tamil Nadu), Kickstart FC (Karnataka), Celtic Queens FC (Pondicherry), Lords FA Kochi (Kerala), Eastern Sporting Union (Manipur), Churchill Brothers (Goa), CRPF FC (Punjab)
| Match No. | Date | Time (IST) | Team A | Team B | Venue |
| 8 | 27/04/2023 | 16:30 | Central Reserve Police Force Football Club | Odisha FC | TransStadia |
| 14 | 30/04/2023 | 08:00 | Odisha FC | Kickstart FC Karnataka | Shahibaug Police Stadium |
| 22 | 03/05/2023 | 08:00 | Eastern Sporting Union | Odisha FC | TransStadia |
| 29 | 05/05/2023 | 08:00 | Churchill Brothers FC Goa | Odisha FC | Shahibaug Police Stadium |
| 38 | 07/05/2023 | 16:30 | Odisha FC | Lords FA Kochi YMAA | TransStadia |
| 46 | 10/05/2023 | 16:30 | Celtic Queens | Odisha FC | Shahibaug Police Stadium |
| 55 | 13/05/2023 | 16:30 | Sethu Madurai | Odisha FC | Shahibaug Police Stadium |
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