The first Indian footballer and Asia's only player to represent FC Rangers wants women's football to be accorded greater importance
Ngangom Bala Devi, the flag bearer of women’s football in the country, has netted 52 goals from 58 appearances for India since 2010
If necessary, sleep with a football. It’s a line by her father that Ngangom Bala Devi has still not forgotten from her days of growing up in the Northeastern state of Manipur where she would be casually playing the game with boys in the fields in her spare time. It not only underlines the passion one must have to play sport, but also speaks of the dedication required to reach the highest level.
The 30-year-old’s father, Ngangom Manohar Singh, an ex-state-level football player, is a proud man today. It’s been a year since his daughter became the first woman and Asia’s only footballer to be signed by Rangers FC—one of the top football clubs in the Scottish League. A dream jointly seen by her father and her came true.
“It is a very big thing personally, and for the country, that I am able to play for such a big club. A lot of players representing it are national players of their teams in Northern Ireland, Canada, France… that helps me learn from them,” says Bala Devi, who became the first Indian woman to score a goal in a European League clash. In December 2020, Rangers FC decimated Motherwell FC with a 9-0 win, with Bala Devi scoring at the 85th minute.
So far, she has played six games for the club (apart from six friendly ones) and aspires to be a part of many more. Her contract is scheduled to end in June 2021, but she is hopeful that Rangers will renew it. “I am keen to play for a few more years. In fact, as long as I can play… and learn in an international environment and bring those learnings to India,” she tells Forbes India on a Zoom call from her apartment in Glasgow.
Just a couple of months after reaching the United Kingdom (UK), the coronavirus-induced lockdowns came into effect, leaving Bala Devi confined to her room. She was itching to get back on the field and kept herself in top shape even in those trying times. “I was hopeful that I would play a lot, but the coronavirus brought things to a standstill. But I kept myself fit by working out in my room,” she says. “The fitness levels and intensity of the games here are extremely high. For instance, one can learn the technique to quickly run and return to their position… these are smaller tweaks, but Indian players can benefit a lot.”
(This story appears in the 12 February, 2021 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)