Four private companies, including JSW Group, the owner of Indian Super League’s Bengaluru FC, have expressed interest in acquiring the commercial rights of the Indian Women’s League’s first and second divisions for the next five years, although they have not yet officially submitted their bids.
Capri Sports, owner of Pro Kabaddi League side Bengal Warriorz, Leisure Sports and Shrachi Sports, which had the broadcasting and production rights of the IWL and the I-League last year, were the other three companies that sent queries on the tender floated by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) earlier this month.
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The interest of the four private entities in the IWL and IWL 2 is seen as a welcome sign for women’s football as there is no taker for the commercial rights of the Indian Super League, the top men’s league.
Indian women’s football has shown promise this year as the national teams have qualified for all three Asian Cups (Senior, U20 and U17) after more than two decades. A residential academy for girls was established and East Bengal put in a spirited performance in the AFC Women’s Champions League.
“The four companies have already participated in the pre-bid meeting (with the AIFF), although they are yet to officially submit their bids,” a reliable source told PTI.
The Request for Proposal (RPF) for the commercial rights of IWL and IWL 2 was issued on November 14 and the deadline for submitting bids is November 29.
As per the RFP, the bidder must have a net worth of at least Rs 30 crore at the end of the financial year 2024-25. In case of a consortium bidder, the cumulative net worth at the end of the financial year 2024-25 will be a minimum of Rs 100 crore.
The selected bidder will have to pay the AIFF a ‘guaranteed payment’ of Rs 3 crore or 5 percent ‘gross revenue’, whichever is higher as management and development fee.
Moreover, the bidder must also provide security/deposit of Rs 3 lakh.
The AIFF will constitute a Bid Evaluation Committee (BEC) consisting of three members for the selection or shortlisting of the bid.
The commercial rights offered include advertising, broadcast, film, franchise, merchandising, production, sponsorship and video relating to the competition and competitions. However, AIFF expressly reserves any data rights relating to the competitions.
The selection process consists of two parts: the evaluation of the technical bid and then the evaluation of the commercial bid. Only those bidders who achieve a minimum score of 50 percent in the technical bid evaluation will become ‘qualified bidders’ and eligible for the second part.
The qualified bidder who quotes the highest ‘guaranteed payment’ is generally declared the ‘selected bidder’.
The rights holder must produce and distribute the feed relating to each match, including coverage on a linear channel and/or platform that has previous experience in broadcasting national and/or international football competitions. The rights holder is also appointed as title sponsor for each competition.
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Revenue sharing with participating IWL and IWL 2 clubs
Under the RFP, after deducting the guaranteed payment and production/marketing costs, the rights holder’s resulting net revenue will be shared with the AIFF. The rights holder retains 40 percent and the AIFF receives 60 percent as net revenue share.
The AIFF’s net revenue share will be further shared with the participating IWL and IWL 2 clubs, which is a defining feature of the new structure. Participating clubs benefit from the income generated by a fair allocation of shares.
The IWL clubs will receive 70 percent of the AIFF’s net revenue share, while IWL 2 clubs will receive 20 percent. Only 10 percent will be retained by the AIFF.
Meanwhile, the upcoming IWL season will be held in two phases. The first phase of the competition runs from December 20 to January 6, 2026, before the national team players prepare for the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia in March. The second phase will take place from April 20 to May 10.
The matches will be played in Kolkata and Kalyani.
With fewer matchdays, the upcoming IWL will be a single-leg affair, unlike last season when it was played on a home and away basis.
Published on November 26, 2025
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