FIFA Women's Football regional consultant Belinda Wilson feels the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup India 2020 will galvse the whole country, not just on the women's game, but also of the men.
"The World Cup will have a huge impact in the country, not just on the women's game but also on the men's. You saw what happened when India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, and how much it changed the demographics and direction. I expect the same for the coming World Cup as well. You'll see that the host cities will galvze from within and the rest of the states will follow," All India Football Federation quoted Wilson as saying.
The 2020 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup will be the 7th edition of the tournament which will be hosted by India from November 2 to 21. A total of 16 teams qualify for the final tournament. India will enjoy the automatic qualification as they are the host nation.
When asked about the women's football in India, Wilson said: "Women's football in India is improving a lot. It has come a long way in a short amount of time. You can see with the investments being made that the game is becoming a better product. I can see there is an investment being made at the senior and youth level."
"Over the last 10 years, there is a level of consistency achieved in regards to involvement in youth and senior competitions. I hope to see more role models come to light, who will inspire future generations," she added.
According to Wilson, global tournaments can be used as a platform to share thoughts as the same happened in the Women's World Cup.
"One should utilize the Women's World Cup that recently took place in France. From a global perspective, it was able to enhance a huge movement in regards to women's football, both on and off the field. I think that's the legacy of what a World Cup can achieve. India has the ability to follow suit with the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup next year. It can galvze the whole country to do the same and inspire future generations to become a part of the game," Wilson said.
"The Golden Baby League is a fantastic program that has been initiated in India. I always say that the most important thing is that we start at the grassroots level, from U-6 to U-12 age groups. If you can develop a passion for the game at that age group, then it will carry over to the youth leagues, and contribute in bridging the gap. It will impact not only the football being played but also coach education and will see more women getting involved in coaching," she added.
( With inputs from ANI )