This marks Pune’s second consecutive title, with Mumbai once again finishing as the runners-up.

Both Pune and Mumbai were seeded directly into the quarter-finals and made strong starts to their campaigns. Mumbai defeated Palghar 5–0 in their quarter-final, while Pune recorded an identical 5–0 victory over Kolhapur.

In the semi-finals, Mumbai faced Ahmednagar and secured a narrow 1–0 win to book their place in the final. Pune, meanwhile, produced a dominant performance against Thane, winning 4–0 to set up a repeat of last season’s final.

The final was a rematch of last season’s championship decider, where Pune defeated Mumbai 2–1 with a stoppage-time winner in Palghar. This time, the first half remained evenly contested, with both teams going into the break level at 0–0.

Pune came out strongly after the restart and broke the deadlock early in the second half. Yashika Tejwani unleashed a powerful long-range effort that found the back of the net, giving Pune a 1–0 lead.

Pune continued to control the game and doubled their advantage through Tejwani, who scored her second long-range goal of the final. As the match approached its conclusion, last season’s Player of the Tournament Ritika Singh put the result beyond doubt with a composed second-post finish. The move was calmly set up by Ipshito Gawari.

Pune held on to their 3–0 lead until the final whistle, securing their second consecutive WIFA Inter-District Senior Women’s Championship title.

3rd Place Match – Ahmednagar vs Thane

In the third-place match, Ahmednagar faced Thane. The teams were level at 1–1 after regulation time, sending the match to a penalty shootout. Ahmednagar held their nerve to win the shootout 3–1 and finish third in the championship. Ahmednagar clinched consecutive 3rd Place in the WIFA Inter-District Senior Womens Championship

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The opening two days were packed with action as districts battled to book quarterfinal places. Pune made a strong start with a 6-1 win over Thane, while Kolhapur advanced with a commanding 9-0 victory against Amravati. Ahmednagar defeated Satara 6-1, Nagpur overcame Nashik 2-0, Gondia edged Palghar 1-0, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar beat Solapur 5-0 to complete the quarterfinal lineup.

Mumbai entered the tournament directly in the quarterfinals and began their campaign against Kolhapur. The city side dominated set pieces to record a 4-1 win, scoring through a free kick, a rebound, a long-range effort, and a penalty following a red card. Pune also impressed in their quarterfinal, beating Nagpur 3–0 with goals from Tanvi Kore, Ritika Singh, and Sanika Deshpande. Elsewhere, Yavatmal overcame Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar 4-0, while Ahmednagar cruised past Gondia 5-0.

The semifinals on August 14 produced emphatic scorelines. Pune outclassed Ahmednagar 7-0 with strikes from Ritika, Aditi Gadekar, Purva, Pooja Gupta, Prerna, and Mahika. Mumbai were equally dominant, defeating Yavatmal 9-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Bhumika, a brace from Shriya, and goals from Sakshi, Shreya, Nishka, and Niyati. The results confirmed a Pune versus Mumbai final, with Ahmednagar and Yavatmal contesting the third-place playoff.

In the playoff, Ahmednagar beat Yavatmal 4-0 to secure third place, with a hat-trick from Sumaiya Shaikh and a goal from Tanisha Shirsul.

The final brought a dramatic conclusion to the tournament. Mumbai struck first in the 2nd minute, with Nishika Prakash unleashing a stunning long-range strike into the top corner to give them a 1-0 lead. Pune responded after the break, with Payal Kothari converting a free-kick in the 59th minute to level the score. In the dying moments, a Pune attacker was fouled in the box, resulting in a penalty, and Ritika Singh calmly slotted home in the 90th minute to seal a 2-1 win for Pune.

PC: WIFA Media Team

Individual Awards
• Player of the Tournament: Ritika Singh (Pune)
• Best Forward: Sumaiya Shaikh (Ahmednagar)
• Best Goalkeeper: Nikita Desai (Mumbai)
• Best Defender: Prerna Meshram (Pune)

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Out of those 25 goals scored, young forward Karen Pais notched up an astonishing 9 goals in just 4 matches including two hat-tricks in the Group Stages against finalists United Poona SA and Rahul FC. She also managed to score the equalizing goal in the semi-final against FC Pune City but it couldn’t mean enough for Bodyline SC as they crashed out via penalty shootout.

Karen finished as the top scorer and she was later awarded the ‘Golden Boot’. “It feels nice to win the ‘Golden Boot’ but I would have been happiest if we would have won the tournament,” Karen admitted.

When asked about Bodyline’s semi-final clash against FC Pune City, Karen responded: “I think FC Pune City played well. We missed a few chances which turned out to be costly. Overall, It was a tough match.”

She further added: “I really don’t know what went wrong. This is the way we play. I feel if we would have been a little more aggressive, we could have had a different result. But this is not to take away anything from FC Pune City as they played a superb match.”

Not taking Football as a profession or a career in India has been a major issue for a long time now. Even before turning 20, many amateur players stop playing Football due to various reasons, be it internal or external.

“I think AIFF and WIFA are already doing that. Look at the number of times the ‘D-license’ course is held, creating an opportunity for a job as a Coach. WIFA also have the Diploma Course in Football Management. The number of clubs for girls has also increased. The Women’s League started last year. We are on the right track, yes, but we can increase the speed of development a bit so that more and more youngsters can look for a career in Football,” Karen spoke up on an issue which has been really concerning over the years.

She also mentioned that it is her interest which has made her play Football, she said: “My inspiration from the start has been my interest in the game. I have always wanted to improve myself every day, I have just kept working harder to achieve my goals.”

“My parents have been very supportive and provided me with all the facilities required. That’s what made me so passionate about the game. I keep on raising the bar for myself and that’s enough inspiration for me,” Pais added.

Karen also feels that equal opportunities should be given to boys and girls for the betterment of Football in India.

“This year itself there was the Women’s Championship League for the first time. We also have the “Oorja” tournament going on, but we need ‘International’ Tournaments for Women’s team as well at all levels. Look at the fantastic efforts of AIFF in giving exposure to U -17 boys team for the last couple of years. I think that’s superb. I’m happy for the boys but I request AIFF to do the same for the girls as well.”

At last, Karen expressed how much Bodyline SC means to her, she expressed: “What can one say about one’s home. Bodyline is a ‘Home away from Home’ for me. I just feel I’m with my family when I am with the team. It’s fun even to practice with them. The warmth, the love, and the care that the Seniors in the team give to newcomers are worth appreciating.”

“Bodyline has a strong ‘value system’ in place. It is rightly said that ‘values are never taught, they are caught.’ In this respect, Marshal Sir and our Seniors Kimberly Ma’am, Juhi Ma’am and Durva Ma’am lead by example. I can only say that ‘I Love Bodyline”, Karen concluded.

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The person behind this initiative is United Poona SA’s founder and coach Mr. Vinay Murgod who started this academy way back in 1995. After the post-match presentation on Monday evening, we caught up with the man himself.

“United Poona SA is an academy with a purpose to serve impressionable children and underprivileged kids who are recruited from slums and rural areas. Our main aim is to develop underprivileged children through the medium of football. We have training centre at Maha Taluka where we have been training and rescued them from the worse condition. UPSA is also working with grassroots for youth development and most importantly Women’s Football.”

When asked if he expected United Poona SA to go this far in the Championship, he replied: “We don’t expect much, we rather make sure that we educate our players to face competition as they have come from the rough background. One of our goals is to build confidence and courage and educate them about situational leadership.”

“Football plays a huge link in that. We not only teach them just to fight but also to believe in themselves as good human beings and responsible citizens. We also have an off-field programme which is Holistic Soccer Clinics,” Mr. Vinay Murgod said.

UPSA were 3-0 behind at half-time in the Final, Coach Vinay recalled his half-time pep talk:”I said Don’t go by what you are, go by who you are. What they are is players, who they are is a representative. Someone who is representing the entire nation while doing their job or duty.”

“Whether you are a lawyer, doctor or a police, they represent the whole nation at every moment. That’s the seriousness and commitment one should deliver each time when they go on the field,” Coach Vinay concluded.

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A few days later, she broke another record after scoring against Aizawl FC to become the youngest goalscorer ever in the National League. Even Indian Women’s Team legend Bembem Devi praised her when she was up against Senorita herself during a league game.

“She reminds me of myself,” Bembem said.

Yesterday, after the post-match presentation, she thanked her teammates and coach for giving her the opportunity and support. Not to forget, it was Senorita who scored twice to help FC Pune City lift the title.

When asked how she has gelled and mingled with the team so well, the 13-year old said: “I am with them since the last five years. Though I feel new to them, we have always mingled pretty well with each other. We crack jokes and I have a special bond with everyone.”

“Each one of them has treated me like parents. I am so thankful to the whole team and coach for playing and encouraging me throughout the Championship,” Senorita said.

“I want to improve on shooting, whenever I enter the box, I have always tried dribbling instead of finishing. That’s where I want to improve,” Senorita on where she needs to improve to become a much better player.

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FC Pune City got the better of United Poona SA in the Final after registering a comfortable 3-0 victory. After the post-match ceremony, we interviewed Pune City’s Coach Mohan Dass who spoke about the Championship, their journey, and Pune City’s star forward Senorita Nongpluh.

“First of all, Thank You to WIFA for organizing such a big tournament for girls. It is a pleasure to see all the girls play at an iconic stadium like Cooperage. Our journey started with a loss. We were very upset that we didn’t manage to get the result in our opening game. We later analyze our mistakes and came back stronger to go all the way,” Mohan said. 

Bodyline SC, who was touted as the favorites to win the Championship were eliminated by FC Pune City itself in the semis. Mohan Dass recalled how FC Pune City prepared for the big clash.

“We analyzed Bodyline carefully by studying their mistakes and weakness from the previous matches. We trained according to it and got the result we wanted. I won’t say we defeated them, but we gave a good fight and in the end, it was us who prevailed,” the head coach recalled.

“While in the Final against United Poona SA, we pressed them from the first-half itself as we studied their strategy too. It helped us a lot to score three goals in the first twenty minutes,” Mohan added.

The Coach didn’t hesitate to praise 13-year old star forward Senorita Nongpluh who scored twice in the final: “She can deliver good performance week and week out. She possesses a natural talent at such a young age which is quite astonishing to see in our country. Well, you can say Indian Messi (laughs).”

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The match started off brightly for FC Pune City when Senorita opened the scoring just inside the 5th minute as she had only the goalkeeper to beat, giving Pune City a brilliant start in the Final. Senorita’s sublime finish proved too good for UPSA’s goalkeeper.

Things got worst for United Poona SA when Muriel Adam made it 2-0 in the 11th minute which delivered a huge blow to UPSA’s title hopes. FC Pune City kept pressing UPSA’s backline which turned out to be a good tactic as the defense couldn’t make a way for Aishwarya Balapure who rarely got the ball possession.

Undoubtedly, FC Pune City’s best player in the Tournament – Senorita was as good as she was in the previous games. She soon made it 3-0 after a brilliant build-up by Pratima and Deepika. A couple of minutes later, Senorita would have completed her hat-trick when she saw her powerful shot rattled the bar.

United Poona SA had a big task ahead of them in the second-half. FC Pune City defended brilliantly and kept UPSA’s attackers at bay. Dhanashri and Aishwarya, both had a good game in the second-half but couldn’t manage to go past FC Pune City’s defense. In the end, it was FC Pune City who comfortably held on to their lead to emerge as the Champions.

Bodyline SC’s Karen Pais was awarded ‘Golden Boot’ for ending up as the top scorer with nine goals in four matches, whereas, United Poona SA’s Aishwarya Balapure won the ‘Best Player of the Tournament’ award for an impressive performance and leadership throughout the Championship.

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More importantly, the final which will be played tomorrow at Cooperage Stadium is between two Pune outfits – FC Pune City and United Poona SA.

The first semi-final between Bodyline SC and FC Pune City was nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. FC Pune City took the lead early in the match when Pooja More found the net from close range to give her side a vital lead. Pune City could have increased their lead later in the first-half through Senorita Noughpluh and Pooja More but a strong Bodyline’s defense somehow held their nerves.

At the stroke of the half-time, Championship’s top scorer Karen Pais levelled the score after a brilliant run from the left flank to register her nine goals in four matches. The score remained at 1-1 as the match was headed into the penalty shootout.

FC Pune City failed to utilize their advantage twice in the penalties but a superb save by Deepika Masurkar gave them one more chance to prevail and this time they did as the girls in orange booked their place in the Final.

The second semi-final between United Poona SA and Aadhar Pratishtan also went down to the wire as a lone goal from star forward Aishwarya Balapure proved enough for the Pune-based side to cruise into the Final.

United Poona SA defended for their lives in the last quarter of the game to deny Aadhar Pratishtan to take the match into the penalties. In the end, it was UPSA’s supreme defense which helped them go all the way to set up an exciting clash against FC Pune City at Cooperage, tomorrow.

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Here are the semi-final fixtures:

Bodyline SC (Mumbai) vs FC Pune City (Pune)

This clash has the potential to be the best match of the Championship. The qualities, determination and grit among both these sides are immense and this can turn this encounter into a thrilling semi-final. Bodyline SC is heading into the last four with an astonishing record of scoring 24 goals and conceding none in three games, passing a strong statement to the rest of the three teams.

Meanwhile, FC Pune City has been a bit cautious in their three group stage matches where they have only scored thrice and conceded one. Though previous match stats don’t matter when it comes to a knockout match, FC Pune City must take this battle to the field aggressively and fight as a unit to stop Bodyline’s supreme attack and organized defense.

FC Pune City needs to take care of Karen Pais who is currently the top scorer in the Championship with eight goals in only three matches, whereas, Senorita Noughpluh and Muriel Adam of FC Pune City might cause problems for the Bodyline’s backline. Irrespective of the result, this semi-final clash is surely going down the wire.

Aadhar Pratishtan (Mumbai) vs United Poona SA (Pune)

Another ‘Mumbai vs Pune‘ clash in the semis. While Aadhar Pratishtan has performed brilliantly in the group stage, the visitors United Poona SA has been equally impressive so far. Though the Pune outfit lost 7-0 against Bodyline SC, the rest of their two games turned out to be a brilliant watch.

This match might turn out to be the most unpredictive clash of the Championship. Aadhar Pratishtan’s impressive team performance will be up against one of the most impressive player of the Championship, a side riding on Aishwarya Balapure’s brilliance. She completely changed the course of the match on her feet against Poddar International and Rahul FC and it might come back to haunt Aadhar Pratishtan.

On the other end, the brilliant link-up between Jyotika Singh, Priya Tiwari and Malaika Chauhan of Aadhar Pratishtan will be hoping to cause serious threats against a side who has conceded nine goals in three group matches. An exciting semi-final awaits tomorrow.

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Group A:

The Group A kicked off on 23rd June at Cooperage when United Poona SA met Poddar International in the opening match of the Tournament. UPSA’s Aishwarya Balapure left no stone unturned as she helped her side snatch all three points in a 3-2 victory. She scored twice and assisted the other goal to start UPSA campaign on a winning note. The very next day, Mumbai’s Bodyline SC caused havoc when they overcame United Poona SA 7-0, courtesy of Karen Pais’ sublime hat-trick.

After suffering a narrow defeat in the first match, Poddar International displayed a brilliant performance to sink Rahul FC 5-0 after Pranali Chauhan emulated Karen Pais’ to score a hat-trick for her side. Continuing from where they had left in the first match, Bodyline registered an identical 7-0 win against Poddar International to book their place in the last four with a game to play.

Aishwarya Balapure also continued her spectacular form as she finally managed to score a hat-trick when United Poona SA run riot against Rahul FC in a comfortable 7-0 win. The win also booked UPSA’s berth in the last four along with Bodyline SC.

Bodyline completed their group stage campaign with another staggering performance when they trounced Rahul FC 10-0 as Karen Pais scored four goals to end up as Group A top goal-scorer with eight goals in three games.

WIFA Women’s Championship Group A standings

 Group B:

Group B didn’t saw as many goals as in the first. This turned out to be more of an organized and defensive unit. Group B went underway on 28th June when Aadhar Pratishtan faced FC Pune City. Jyotika Singh scored the decisive goal in the 55th minute to seal the victory for the Mumbai-based side at Cooperage.

In the second match of the day, a goal each from Mrunal Khot and Aishwarya Havaldar proved enough for KSA Women’s FC as they registered a narrow 2-0 victory over Tirpude SC. On matchday two, Tirpude SC suffered another loss when they went down 2-0 against Aadhar Pratishtan, courtesy of Priya Tiwari and Malaika Chauhan’s strike in the second-half.

FC Pune City fought back after losing against Aadhar Pratishtan when an injury time goal by Muriel Adam helped the Pune outfit to snatch all three points against KSA Women’s FC. On the last matchday, FC Pune City confirmed their place in the last four with a 2-0 win over Tirpude SC, thanks to Senorita Noughpluh’s twin strikes.

Aadhar Pratishtan finished their Group stage campaign as the winners with FC Pune City finishing as the runner-up.

Semi-finals fixtures: Bodyline SC (Mumbai) vs FC Pune City (Pune) and Aadhar Pratishtan (Mumbai) vs United Poona SA (Pune).

WIFA Women’s Championship Group B standings

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