Rise of wonder women in Mumbai football

Even though, according to city-based international players the state of affairs of women’s football is bleak at the national level, it has not affected the growth of the sport in the state. This is due to the increasing number of tournaments taking place in major cities like Pune and Mumbai.

Mumbai footballer, Karen Pais, 17, who plays for Bodyline FC is not so pleased with the state of affairs on the national level, but she is happy with how things are in Mumbai football. Karen explains, “There is good infrastructure as we get to play on grounds with Astroturf like Cooperage and Andheri Sports Complex. I have not seen many cities with such good facilities. It is mainly because of this that the game has seen increasing participation from girls my age,” she says.

Karishma Vazirani, 19, hails from Nerul and is one of the leading performers of Football Leaders Academy (FLA). She applauds this revolution as she states, “There were scarcely two or three tournaments per year, but we now have the same number of events per month. We get to play a good amount of football in Mumbai as compared to girls from other cities. I am happy with football exposure in our city.”

Coaches’ effort
The local scenario has also changed majorly because of the coaches who have laid emphasis on the parallel development of women’s football as that of men. Over the years, better coaches having good records have taken jobs to train the women. “I have taken this initiative with the owners, and we have planned to concentrate mainly on women’s football. I am glad that AIFF is taking the necessary steps to promote the sport among women. We have also seen the men’s team receiving four times the winning amounts than women. Both genders play equally hard, so why is there such discrimination?” questioned Marshall John, coach of leading club Bodyline FC.

The coach of Bandra Packers Team, Oniel Kalicharan, 38, who has been a part of the club for 16 years, gives credit to WIFA for this shift. “Earlier, there were barely any tournaments organised. After the board of WIFA changed and the new committee took charge, the growth has been evident. They are giving equal opportunities to women and not just for namesake. The announcement of the I-League has also given the girls an incentive to go and show their skills on the big stage. If we push more, I think our country can benefit from the talent that the city is holding,” he says firmly with belief.

Former Navy Officer, Kundan Chandra, 46, who owns Football Leaders Academy (FLA), believes that the country is close to reaching a decent level internationally, which is why he is keen on developing football among women. The FLA Women’s team will be playing in the I-League qualifiers later this year. “I am devoted to giving better opportunities to women because they were deprived of them in the past. Most of the people say such things and do not act, but I have given it my best shot to change the dynamics. I keep encouraging the players as well as their parents to let their daughters enjoy the game and who knows, they might make it big one day,” asserts a dutiful Chandra.

Progressive approach
The Western India Football Association (WIFA) is making progress and pushing more female footballers to come out and play the game. “We are doing the best on our part with the help of AIFF and FIFA to dig up the best talent in women’s football from Mumbai. There are very few cities like Mumbai or Pune which do not give in to patriarchy and let the women come out and play. But I have seen that change in the past couple of years as there has been a significant growth in the participation of players from smaller cities. Earlier, there were hardly 8-9 teams taking part in tournaments, but now there are around 20 teams going neck-to-neck,” states Souter Vaz, secretary, WIFA.