Haryana girl footballers knocking down doors

The rise and rise of Haryana as a major sports power in India was again evident in the junior girls (U-17) final of the Subroto Cup schools football tournament. Despite a skewed sex ratio, khap panchayats and patriarchal mindsets that prevail in this state, the teenage girls of Government Senior Secondary School, Alakhpura (near Bhiwani), were a revelation winning the Subroto Cup for the second successive year. They won emphatically, scoring 35 goals in five matches and conceded just once.

School teams from Haryana have won the Subroto Cup international girl’s tournament for the third successive year.

In 2014, girls from Government Senior Secondary School, Mangali in Hissar won this prestigious tournament. This is only the second time this has happened since the Subroto Cup commenced in 1960. Madhyamgram Higher Secondary School from Bengal won the Subroto Cup three years in a row from 1981 to 1983. Bengal especially in the 1980s was an established powerhouse in football. Haryana is a non-entity in domestic football and they have a lethargic local association yet their school teams are dominating the Subroto Cup.

It is not just the girls that are doing well, Delhi Public School, Panipat, became the first Haryana school to enter the semi finals of the Subroto Cup (U-17) boy’s tournament. Their talented striker Utkarsh has a lot of potential. This shows that football standards in Haryana are rapidly improving.

From 2014 to 2016, the Haryana girls defeated school teams from Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in the Subroto Cup final. It is now imperative that the All India Football Federation also focus on Haryana as part of the youth development programmes and not concentrate only on the North-East.

The Alakhpura girls are raw and rustic but are like uncut diamonds. They possess speed, stamina, strength and determination. Their basic skills can be improved with regular exposure and coaching. Their triumph is even more noteworthy as they practice on a barren field on which grass is sparse. Local villagers pool their resources to provide them a nutritious diet.

Their coach Sonika has created a football revolution in Alakhpura. Whilst the main team was participating in the Subroto Cup the second string team participated and won a local inter-school tournament that was simultaneously being held in Karnal. This shows the depth of talent that exists in this school.

In the Subroto Cup striker Nisha of the Alakhpura school was the most impressive player, with her speed and ability to finish with deft placements.

In the semi-final she scored four goals, enabling her team to rout Umthli Secondary School, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya 8-0. In an earlier match she scored five goals in a 7-0 rout of Mata Rukmani Higher Secondary School, Dimrapal (Chhattisgarh). Skipper Samiksha and Anay Bai who scored the match-winner in the final are box to box midfielders. Sharda is a tenacious defender.

Whilst the rise of football standards at the school level in Haryana is a welcome step, the decline of teams from Bengal is unfortunate. In the junior boys tournament, the Mohun Bagan SAIL Football Academy was routed 0-11 by Clube Atletico Paraneanse, Curitiba, Brazil and then lost 0-2 to Team Afghanistan.