Odisha Football Club Women () is an Indian professional women's football club based in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, that competes in the Indian Women's League 2, the second tier of Indian women's football. Odisha FC Women were founded in 2022, when the Indian Super League side Odisha FC announced the formation of their women's side.
Odisha played their first-ever home match on 27 November 2022 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, registering a 1âÂÂ0 victory over East Coast Railway in the Odisha Women's League, the premier women's football competition in the state. Building on that strong start, the club went on to clinch the 2022âÂÂ23 Odisha Women's League, securing the first silverware in their history and earning qualification to the Indian Women's League, the highest tier of women's professional football in India.
In a remarkable rise, Odisha lifted the 2023âÂÂ24 Indian Women's League title in just their second season at the top level. The triumph also secured their maiden qualification to the inaugural 2024âÂÂ25 AFC Women's Champions League, marking the club's historic debut on the continental stage.
With an aim to have a professional women's team from Odisha, one of the major hotbeds of Indian women's football, Odisha FC club brought in an experienced football administrator, Randeep Baruah, as their Head of academy & Women's Football, to structure the women's football department. In 2022, on the holy occasion of Ratha Yatra, the Indian Super League (ISL) club Odisha FC announced the launch of their senior women's team. On the same day, the club announced the appointment of AFC A-Licensed coach and former player, Crispin Chettri, as team's first Head Coach.
Odisha FC Women kicked-off their professional football journey with participating in the 2022âÂÂ23 Odisha Women's League, the top division women's football league of Odisha. Odisha played their first ever match on 27 November 2022, with a 1âÂÂ0 win against East Coast Railway at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The club went on to win their first regional siverware with winning the Odisha Women's League title with a perfect record of with 10 wins from 10 games, to qualify for the 2022âÂÂ23 Indian Women's League. Pyari Xaxa ended up as the top scorer for the side with 11 goals in 10 games.
In the 2022âÂÂ23 Indian Women's League season, Odisha finished third in the group stage of the competition, qualifying for the knockout stage with a total of 16 points with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. Odisha faced defending champions Gokulam Kerala in the quarter-finals, which ended up 1âÂÂ1 at the end of regular time, however, Odisha lost 0âÂÂ3 on penalties, bowing out of the league. Despite ending up on the losing side in the quarter-final, Odisha directly qualified for the 2023âÂÂ24 Indian Women's League season, as direct qualification was awarded to teams which qualified for the knockout round and finished in the top eight positions in the 2022âÂÂ23 season.
In their second season in top-flight football since inception, Odisha won their first-ever national division silverware by winning the 2023âÂÂ24 Indian Women's League title. Odisha ended up with 31 points from 12 games, qualifying for the 2024âÂÂ25 AFC Women's Champions League, Asia's premier club women's football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Pyari Xaxa ended up as the top scorer for Odisha with 8 goals, followed by Win Theingi Tun with 7 goals to her name. Later in FIFA also congratulated the Odisha FC Women side for their outstanding performance in the Indian Women's League, crowning them as the Champions of India.
In the 2024âÂÂ25 Indian Women's League season, Odisha began as defending champions after winning the title in 2023âÂÂ24, but endured a difficult campaign marked by inconsistent form and a long winless run. Odisha ended up with 12 points from 14 games, ultimately finishing in 7th in the league resulting in relegation from the top flight, a rare fall for reigning champions in Indian women's club football. Lynda Kom ended up as the top scorer for Odisha with 7 goals to her name.
On 15 September 2019, Odisha unveiled their official logo embodying the heritage and the culture of the state of Odisha and the vision and the ideology of its parent company, GMS Inc. The design for the crest is inspired from the Chakras or the chariot wheels of the famous Konark Sun Temple, a World Heritage Site in Odisha which represents movement and development; the ship design represents GMS, the world's largest buyer of ships and offshore assets, and the owner of the club.
Established in 1978, the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, is the home ground of Odisha. The 12,000-capacity stadium has hosted several national and international tournaments including the Indian Super League, I-League, Super Cup, and 2019 Gold Cup. It was one of the venues to host the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup. The stadium also serves as the home base for the India women's national football team and youth national teams.
Odisha FC had immediately grown its popularity post its inception which resulted in the formation of its supporters group, known as The Juggernauts. The name of the group is derived from i.e. the "world-lord", combining ("world") and ("lord"). Juggernaut is defined as a large powerful force or organization that cannot be stopped. After the club entered into a 3-year technical affiliation with the Premier League side Watford, the Juggernauts became the first Indian football supporters' group to get into an international alliance with supporters' group of a foreign club on September 3. They partnered with Watford's largest supporters' group, i.e. The 1881 Movement, for a cross-cultural fan exchange programme.
The following clubs are affiliated with Odisha FC: