Mashaal girls honored in Kolkata for winning Indian Women's League
Times of India | 24 July 2025
KOLKATA: UK’s diaspora organization Heritage Bengal Global (HBG) and the British deputy high commission in Kolkata, together with the UK-based Kolkata London Club, on Wednesday felicitated Mashaal Girls, the East Bengal women’s team for winning the national-level Indian Women’s League (IWL) and the state-level Kanyasree Cup.“The EB women's team had a fantastic season this year, winning the IWL at the national level and the Kanyasree Cup at the local level. Several players from the team also represented India in their stunning performance leading to qualification in the AFC Asian Cup finals,” said Anirban Mukhopadhyay, director of Heritage Bengal Global (HBG) in London. “The idea is to encourage the girls to keep performing at this level and better, for the club and the country,” said HBG representative and President, Bengal Olympic Association, Chandan Roy Choudhury, who attended the Kolkata event to laud the 14 players from the Mashaal Club.
The afternoon also featured Techno India representative Bodhisattwa Mukhrjee handing over the Techno India IFA Shield UK trophy to the British deputy high commissioner of Kolkata, Dr Andrew Fleming, who presented the trophy to East Bengal Official Manab Paul and the women’s team's head coach while IFA President Ajit Banerjee and IFA Chairman Subrata Dutta looked on.
Fleming viewed this as a glorious example of recognising the club’s global fanbase, where a trophy won by their fans in a foreign land was accepted and displayed. The Techno India IFA Shield UK is a football tournament for fans of the three key Maidan clubs, established in the UK in 2018. It has since expanded to Sydney and Scotland.
The eighth edition of the UK version was played on July 13, 2025, at the picturesque Tithe Farm Social Club in South Harrow, London, which was vibrant with cheers and the passion of football.
Organized by HBG and supported by the Kolkata London Club, Newham Council Vice Chair Cllr Imam Haque, with accreditation from the FA (Football Association of England) as a Community League, the tournament seamlessly blended sporting excellence with cultural pride, said Mukhopadhyay.