The tournament will be played on a league-cum-knockout format with 24 teams divided into pool of eight, a Hockey India (HI) release said. The event will provide a great opportunity for the players to make a mark for themselves as during the course of the competition, HI selectors will choose probables for the National Coaching Camps for the preparation of the Indian team for various International competitions to be held in 2011.
The Indian women's team is scheduled to play in the 7th FIH Women Champions Challenge I at Dublin, Ireland in June, 2nd Women Asian Champions Trophy at Ordos, China and 3rd Girls U-18 Asia Cup at Bangkok, Thailand in September.
India will host the 1st Olympic Women Qualifier for the Olympic Games at London in 2012. The qualifiers will be held in February next year.
Teams:
POOL A: Jharkhand, Andra Pradesh and Uttrakhand
POOL B: Karnataka, J&K and Bihar
POOL C: Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Manipur
POOL D: Maharshtra, Rajasthan and Orissa
POOL E: Delhi, Goa and Kerala
POOL F: Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh and Gujarat
POOL G: Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Bengal
POOL H: Haryana, Puducherry and Assam.