The state sports department has received the green signal from All India Football Federation (AIFF) for hosting the national preparatory camp for the Fifa under-17 Women’s World Cup in Jamshedpur.

The women’s department of the national football federation has also given its nod for the under-20 women’s preparatory camp to be held in the steel city.

Both the camps will stretch for three months and are supposed to start from next month.

Jharkhand Football Association (JFA) secretary Ghulam Rabbani informed that the AIFF has sent him the approval letter. “The camps will be finally held in Jamshedpur,” he said over the phone from Giridih.

The under-17 camp is scheduled to kick-off from February 4 and will be followed by the one for the under-20 eves. “Though the schedule of the camps is yet to be decided, the exercise for the under-17 age group will probably be conducted from February 4 onwards. An annunciation will be made shortly,” an official of JFA said.

The camps will be conducted at JRD Tata Sports Complex, Flatlet ground (in Kadma) and the greens at Tata Football Academy. Around 70 women footballers would take part in both the preparatory camps.

The greens at JRD Tata Sports Complex and the Flatlet are used for training sessions of Jamshedpur Football Club. Both the grounds can be utilised for the camps since JFC is busy competing in the Indian Super League, which is underway in Goa.

The state sports department had recently initiated talks with the AIFF and Sports Authority of India (Eastern Centre) regarding the camp in Jamshedpur.

It is being said that chief minister Hemant Soren was keen to host the camp in Jharkhand. Expenses related to the camps will be borne by the state government while AIFF and JFA will be lending the technical support.

The preparatory camp was scheduled in Jamshedpur in October last year. However, it had to be cancelled because of the pandemic.

A recce team led by the then state sports director Anil Kumar Singh had inspected the available facilities in Jamshedpur last year. The team also held a discussion with officials of Tata Steel sports wing.

Besides going to the JRD Tata Sports Complex and the checking the ground at Flatlets in Kadma, the team also visited some hotels.