Freedom QJ League to support football for girls
The Freedom QJ League is set to hold its first full-fledged football tournament for girls. The total cost of organizing this inaugural women’s season is estimated at 308 million tenge ($604,619), according to the Freedom QJ League press service.
According to the organization, its top priority this year is launching the first tournament for girls. This is especially important, as the QJ League has significantly transformed the landscape of youth football for boys in Kazakhstan over the past few years, while the situation in girls’ football has largely remained unchanged.
«These include competitions using the one-round-per-month system, where teams gather in one location and play several games in a week, after which they’re left on their own without regular practice or access to relevant statistics, drowning in demotivating irresponsibility. Often, students quit football academies out of frustration or under parental pressure,» the QJ League said.
The tournament will be open to girls under 17, granting women’s football what the boys’ leagues already have: a convenient one-game-per-week schedule, streamlined logistics, comfortable hotel accommodations, detailed statistical reports gathered using digital tools and support from sports analysts. All this makes the competitions much more attractive for female players, allowing them to progress as athletes.
According to Rokhus Shokh, president of the Freedom QJ League, many people across the country have long awaited the launch of the QJ League tournament for girls. He also emphasized that the organization is staying committed to its development plans and making steady progress.
«As we do for youth tournaments, the Freedom QJ League, sponsored by Timur Turlov’s Freedom Holding Corp., will cover all expenses related to travel, accommodation with three meals a day, referees and live broadcasts. In addition, the League will provide teams with new balls and training bibs. We also plan to conduct training for specialists during the season, and all of this cost money,» the League’s press service said.
Freedom QJ League estimates that total project costs will amount to 308 million tenge ($604,635), with 247 million tenge ($484,886) allocated for hosting visiting teams, referees and inspectors. Expenditures on match production, including commentators’ fees, are projected at 32 million tenge ($62,819) per season. In addition, the League has set aside 7 million tenge ($13,741) for the purchase of balls, bibs and other equipment for the girls.
«This spending is necessary to promote girls’ competitions to a fundamentally new format that is highly effective for developing female football players. It also allows clubs to save significant funds, which they can redirect to make their academies more comfortable and effective,» the League summarized.
The organization is also engaged in media support for young athletes.
«To this end, a separate Instagram account @qjlwomen has been created, which will focus entirely on covering the new tournament.»
The first round of the Freedom QJ League W is scheduled to start on June 7. The opening match will take place in Pavlodar, where the local Irtysh team will face Karaganda’s Shakhter.
The game between Irtysh and Shakhter will be the centerpiece of the football festival, held in the League’s traditional format. Residents can expect a variety of pre-match activities, including attractions, a chill zone, a food court, and a DJ set. In addition, popular singer Miras Zhugunussov will perform for the audience.
