Before that, remember there’s a World Cup that’s under way in India—the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, in which the home nation debuts along with Morocco and Tanzania. Expectations should be realistic look at it as the beginning of a long haul for a country whose women’s team is ranked in the late 50s and the men at 104.
The good news is that perhaps never has interest in football at the grassroots percolated so wide and so deep. Naini Thaker travelled to the hilly villages of Mizoram—which at last count had 33 players in the Indian Super League—and returned with a fascinating story on how the natural inclination towards the game is being channelised by the state government, the football association and corporate foundations. Divya Shekhar has the heart-warming story of how girls from under-resourced communities in the villages of Ajmer district in Rajasthan are using football to access every freedom, and counter poverty and patriarchy. What should bolster the young players’ skills and confidence, as Kathakali Chanda writes in ‘Club Call’, is the influx of the top foreign clubs and leagues, at the grassroots.
There’s hope for Indian football—indeed, Indian sport, if the hard work is put in. As Indian women’s football captain Loitongbam Ashalata Devi tells Kunal Purandare: “There’s a lot of hard work required to maintain success." Don’t miss her profile and her plans to give back to Indian football.
Best,
Brian Carvalho
Editor, Forbes India
Email: Brian.Carvalho@nw18.com
Twitter ID: @Brianc_Ed
First Published: Oct 10, 2022, 10:38
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