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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has appointed Anthony Andrews as the assistant coach of the India U17 women's national team, with Joakim Alexandersson continuing as the head coach, the AIFF said in a media release on Wednesday.
Andrews, who also serves as head coach of East Bengal FC, will take up the role on a dual basis with the club and country. The current Indian Women's League (IWL) champion with East Bengal, Andrews is the most successful coach in the league's history, having won four titles. He guided Gokulam Kerala FC to consecutive IWL titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before leading East Bengal FC to back-to-back championships in 2024-25 and 2025-26. He is the only coach to have won multiple IWL trophies. Andrews has also overseen East Bengal's recent success on the continental stage. Last Sunday, he guided the club to victory in the Preliminary Stage of the AFC Women's Champions League 2026-27 in Malaysia, making East Bengal the first Indian women's club to qualify for the group stage in consecutive seasons. Under his stewardship, East Bengal also became the first Indian women's club to win a match in the AFC Women's Champions League group stage last season. He also led the Moshal Girls to the SAFF Women's Club Championship title last December. Andrews has now joined the India U17 women's team in Tashkent, where the Young Tigresses are scheduled to play two international friendly matches against Uzbekistan on August 27 and 30 as part of their preparations for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2027 Qualifiers. The Qualifiers will be held in Malaysia from October 5 to 11, with India set to compete in Group E alongside Malaysia, Syria and Iraq. Anthony Andrews said he was honoured to join the India U17 women's national team setup and thanked the AIFF for its trust. He said his experience working with women's football at both youth and senior levels had given him valuable knowledge of player development and talent identification. He added that he hopes to bring the winning culture, professionalism and high-performance standards from East Bengal FC to help develop the next generation of Indian women footballers. "It is a great honour and privilege to be part of the India U17 Women's National Team setup. I'm grateful to the AIFF for the trust and confidence they have shown in me, and I'm excited about the opportunity to contribute to the development of the next generation of Indian footballers. Having spent a significant part of my coaching career in women's football, working across both youth and senior levels, representing the country in this capacity is a responsibility that I take with immense pride and commitment," he said. "Over the years, I have been fortunate to work with and develop many players who have gone on to represent India at youth and senior levels. Those experiences have given me valuable insights into player development, talent identification, and creating environments where young players can maximise their potential. I hope to bring that experience, along with the winning culture, professionalism, and high-performance standards that have contributed to recent success at East Bengal FC, to help support the players and staff as we prepare for the future of Indian women's football," he added. (ANI)
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