The state-level final was played at the IB Ground in Salt Lake on Wednesday, where NATHS defeated St Philomena's School of Kalimpong 3-1 to lift the trophy.

Diya Biswas, Sonali Mondal and Ishika Oraon found the net for the champions, while Priyanshi Rai scored the lone goal for St Philomena's.

The national-level Pre-Subroto Cup is scheduled to be held in New Delhi later this month, where the young footballers from North Dinajpur will represent Bengal in pursuit of national honours.

Chandan Paul, an AIFF-certified coach and a teacher of NATHS, said the school secured the state title for the third consecutive year.

"We are extremely happy with the performance of the girls. Winning the state title for the third year on the trot is a remarkable achievement. The team has now qualified to represent Bengal at the national-level tournament in Delhi," said Chandan Paul, an AIFF-certified coach and a teacher of NATHS.

He said they had a remarkable journey in this tourney. In the quarter-finals, the North Dinajpur girls defeated Purulia 2-0 at Gitanjali Stadium in Howrah. They defeated South 24-Parganas 5-0 in the semi-finals at the GD Ground in Salt Lake.

Situated nearly 15km from Islampur town headquarters in Nandajhar village under the Goalpokhar-I block of the district, the school has steadily earned a reputation as one of Bengal's leading grassroots football nurseries.

What is most remarkable, according to coach Paul, is that most of these girls come from economically disadvantaged families. Many of their parents work as daily-rated workers, tea garden workers or domestic helpers.

Lovely Mondal, who was adjudged the player of the tournament, is the daughter of a daily wage worker.

Diya lost her father at an early age, while her mother is a tea garden worker.

Paul, who trains the girls every day at his coaching centre, expressed disappointment over the lack of institutional support despite the team's consistent success.

"Except for support from the local block administration and police, which arranged footballs and basic sporting equipment, we have received little assistance. Even a minimal support from the state government would help ensure better nutrition, training facilities and infrastructure for these talented girls," he said.

Bikash Adhikari, the school's teacher-in-charge, echoed the coach's concerns.

He also announced that the school would felicitate the players and coaching staff on Thursday.

"We are immensely proud of our girls. They have overcome severe financial hardship and social challenges to become state champions once again. However, sending the team to the national tournament will place a significant financial burden on our school. We hope the state and district administrations extend the support the girls deserve so they continue to excel," Adhikari said.