ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Thursday that the 10th National Women Football Championship 2014 will be held in four cities simultaneously from Aug 11-31 which will help selectors in finalising the national team for the upcoming South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

Shahid Khokhar, PFF media manager, said that the young women football talent will be picked from this championship to prepare the national squad for SAFF Championship which will be played here in November this year.

Khokhar said that the National Women Championship will be organised at four centres including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi with 16 teams participating in it.

Group league matches will be held in first stage. Two top teams from each group will advance to the quarter-final stage. The final stage of the championship will then be held in Lahore from Aug 23.

Provincial teams from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and regional teams from Islamabad, Fata, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan will be competing in the event.

Besides prominent club outfits, namely Young Rising Star Women FC, Rawalpindi, Balochistan United Women FC, Quetta, DIYA Women FC, Karachi, Model Town Women FC, Lahore, Frontier College Women FC Peshawar will also be participating in the event.

Departmental teams that will contest in the championship include Army, Wapda and the HEC.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2014