3rd Division League: 9 states fulfill criteria for nominating clubs

THE LONG AWAITED 3rd Division League, which will be the fourth tier of India's national league system, is launching this season.

Today AIFF announced that 9 state associations have qualified under the required criteria to be able Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.

The fourth tier will essentially work as a transition point for semi-professional state league clubs who have national ambitions. It's designed to give them a taste of national level competition without breaking the bank and give them some time to ready themselves for professional standards should they earn a promotion to the 2nd Division League; the third tier league in the country.

The league will also encourage state associations to have more robust state leagues and better football infrastructure, so they are able to have more representation in the national level. This is expected to spread the sport to states where football is not widely popular yet.

The inaugural season of 3rd Divsion will feature clubs from two states that have never had national level clubs before: Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. It's a good start to the project, and things will only grow if the momentum holds.

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