Junior Women’s Hockey Nationals: 30 Teams to Compete in Three Divisions in Kakinada

New Delhi: The 15th Hockey India Junior Women National Championship will kick off on August 1 in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, and will run until August 12. This year, the tournament adopts a new division-based format, already successfully implemented in the Senior and Sub-Junior Men’s and Women’s National Championships earlier this year.

A total of 30 teams will participate, divided into three divisions – Division A, Division B, and Division C. The format includes promotion and relegation, with the bottom teams in Divisions A and B being relegated, while the top two teams in Divisions B and C will be promoted to higher divisions in next year's edition.

Division A (Top Tier – Championship Division)

This division features the top 12 ranked teams in the country and will commence on August 5.

Key teams include:

• Hockey Jharkhand (defending champions, Pool A)

• Hockey Madhya Pradesh (last year’s runners-up, Pool B)

• Hockey Haryana (third place, Pool C)

Pool-wise breakup:

• Pool A: Hockey Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh Hockey, Hockey Karnataka

• Pool B: Hockey Madhya Pradesh, Hockey Punjab, Hockey Chandigarh

• Pool C: Hockey Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Hockey, Hockey Bengal

• Pool D: Hockey Association of Odisha, Hockey Maharashtra, Hockey Andhra Pradesh

Each team will play round-robin matches within their pool.

• Top two teams from each pool advance to the Quarterfinals (August 9)

• Semifinals will be held on August 10

• The Final and 3rd-place playoff will take place on August 12

In case of a draw in knockout matches, a shootout will determine the winner, as per FIH Tournament Regulations.

Division B (Mid-Tier Division)

Matches in this division will be league-based only.

• Top two teams will be promoted to Division A

• Bottom two teams will be relegated to Division C

Pool A: Manipur Hockey, Le Puducherry Hockey, Hockey Uttarakhand, Kerala Hockey, Assam Hockey
Pool B: Hockey Himachal, Delhi, Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu, Hockey Arunachal, Hockey Association of Bihar

Division C (Entry-Level Division)

Matches in Division C will be held from August 1 to August 4.

• Only league matches will be played

• Top two teams will be promoted to Division B

Pool A: Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu Hockey, Jammu & Kashmir, Goans Hockey, Tripura
Pool B: Hockey Gujarat, Rajasthan, Hockey Mizoram, Telangana Hockey

Scoring System

Across all divisions:

• Win: 3 points

• Draw: 1 point

• Loss: 0 points

Official Statements

Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey stated,

“Following the success of the new format in the Senior and Sub-Junior Nationals, we are excited to implement it in the Junior Nationals. We’ve seen positive results and are confident that junior players will thrive under this structure.”

Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh added,

“Teams have responded well to the new system, and the motivation to move up a division has pushed them to perform at their best. This format provides valuable exposure and experience to young players.”