The Durand Cup will introduce a women’s tournament from the next edition

Durand Cup Trophy tour ends in Kolkata ahead of tournament (ANI Photo) Kolkata: Asia’s oldest football tournament — the Durand Cup — will host its 135th edition when Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC clash in the first derby of the season at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.However, in the 134 years of the tournament, Indian women’s football has grown by leaps and bounds and at the culmination of the Durand Cup Trophy Tour in the city on Wednesday, the organizers of the prestigious competition — Indian Armed Forces — expressed their enthusiasm to include a women’s competition in the coming years.Speaking at a ceremony and press conference at AOI Vijay Durg where the tournament’s three iconic trophies were displayed, Major General Dinesh Kumar Singh, Vice-Chairman of the Durand Cup Organizing Committee, said that they are considering introducing a women’s tournament alongside the men’s tournament in the near future.“Why leave the girls?” was the question on their minds six months ago when they began preparing for the upcoming season, Singh said.“So, this is something we’ve already thought about. The question is how many seats and what kind of equipment (will be available). So we’ll probably have a shortened or smaller version of the girls event in the next edition,” he added.To add to the anticipation, a special women’s exhibition match was jointly organized by the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of Manipur at the SAI Ground in Takyel, Imphal in preparation for the main event.This time the tournament will feature 24 men’s teams across five venues with Ranchi being the latest addition and Assam’s matches returning to Guwahati after two editions in Kokrajhar.“We saw enthusiasm among the people in Kokrajhar. But the state government wanted him back in Guwahati for ease of organization,” said Lt Gen Gambhir Singh, chief of staff of the command’s Eastern Command and chairman of the organizing committee.Among the dignitaries of this event, the main guest was Dr. Indranil Khan, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Youth Services and Sports and Consumer Affairs, Government of West Bengal.“During the recent FIFA World Cup, we all supported clubs from all over the world. Now is the time to unite behind Indian football and our own footballers,” Khan said.Meanwhile, Ranchi will host its first ever Durand Cup match on Sunday when Jamshedpur FC take on Defenders FC at the Birsa Munda Stadium. Defending champions NorthEast United FC will begin their title defense against Bodoland FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on August 1. The other cities hosting the premier competition are the football-mad northeastern cities of Shillong and Imphal.