The University of Western Australia welcomed the Indian Women’s National Football on Wednesday 25 February at the Neil Donaldson Pavilion, in collaboration with the Consulate General of India in Perth ahead of the 2026 AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

Hosted by the UWA Global Engagement Office, the evening brought together sport, leadership and international partnership in a meaningful and inspiring way. The program featured remarks from the Vice-Chancellor of The University of Western Australia Professor Amit Chakma, Consul General of India Ms Kajari Biswas and UWA Nedlands Football Club President Alexandra Lyons.  Each special guest spoke about excellence in sport, leadership, and the importance of visibility in inspiring the next generation of young women in sport.

The event highlighted the role sport plays in strengthening ties between India and UWA as part of a new exciting chapter that includes the opening of two UWA India campuses. UWA Sport supports the long-term commitment to the region and expanding opportunities across education, research, sport and community impact. 

"It was a great opportunity for sport at UWA to strengthen our global partnerships and showcase the impact of sport in connecting communities with academic excellence. It’s a powerful reminder of the role sport plays in inspiring the next generation and reinforcing our ambition to grow the presence of UWA on the global stage."

UWA Sport General Manager, Jake Wilkins

The evening concluded with community members from the UWA Nedlands Football Club engaging with the Indian Women’s National Football team in a meet and greet format. 

The AFC Women’s Asian Cup is a quadrennial tournament that crowns the best women’s football team in Asia. The Indian women’s football team recently completed the groups stages of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Despite the winless campaign, the young team saw as many as six players debut at senior level, an exciting experience for the growing team.