By Amit Banerjee ‘Kick Off The Dream’, the official slogan for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is befitting as it encapsulates the aspirational and empowering urge for the growth of women’s football in the country. In spite of India’s ignominious exit from the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the group stage, there […]
By Amit Banerjee
‘Kick Off The Dream’, the official slogan for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is befitting as it encapsulates the aspirational and empowering urge for the growth of women’s football in the country. In spite of India’s ignominious exit from the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup at the group stage, there is a renewed hope for a resurgence of interest in women’s football in the wake of this mega event
Earlier, ‘Ibha’, the Asiatic lioness, was unveiled as the official tournament mascot. Embodying the vibrance and visionary spirit of the tournament, it symbolises resilience, strength and courage and aims to inspire women and girls across India and around the world to realise their full potential.
The seventh edition of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup got off to a rousing start at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on October 11. Besides Bhubaneswar, the other two venues where the matches are being played are Fatorda Stadium, Margao, Goa, and DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. This is the first occasion that India is hosting this mega U-17 soccer event for women.
With 16 teams in the fray and 32 matches in the offing, there is a veritable visual treat of soccer wizardry on offer, which is normally not available to Indian spectators. The extravaganza will draw to a close on October 30 at Navi Mumbai, with the final being expected to be a humdinger of a contest between the two best teams.
Emerging Stars
Based on their recent form, Brazil, the US, Germany and the reigning champion Spain will be the top contenders for the Cup. In spite of their towering presence in women’s football for quite some time, a triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup has eluded Brazil, USA and Germany. With its fiery attacking line and impregnable defence, the Selecao (Brazil team’s nickname) has already earned the favourites’ tag. The very mention of their ace striker Ingrid Aparecida Borges de Morais, popularly known as Jhonson, is enough to strike awe in the rival camps. Billed as the next big sensation of Brazilian women’s soccer, Jhonson’s superlative performances in the South American qualifiers, where she netted nine goals, have made her a much-coveted star. Such has been her striking prowess and dominance in recent times that the Toledo Football Club, Spain, has signed a new agreement with her with buyout clauses for a whopping $10,000,000 for foreign outfits and €500,000 for Brazilian clubs.
The massive turnout at all women’s soccer games during World War I led the Football Association, which governs the sport in England, to bar use of playgrounds for men’s teams from hosting women’s matches in 1921. The ban was revoked only in 1971
Striker Carol and the ever-reliable Leilani at the goal are the two other Brazil stars, who have already made their presence felt with their stellar performances. Eve Boettcher, the rock-solid German goalie, Carla Camacho, the ace Spanish striker who has been hailed as a ‘diamond in the rough’, and the prolific American scorer Charlotte Kohler have also attracted notice with their soccer heroics. Mia Bhuta, the US midfielder, who scored a goal against the hosts has grabbed media attention for her Rajkot ancestry. Incidentally, the two promising Nigerian stars —forward Ayantosho Yetunde and midfielder Aderemi Mary — share a common birthday and are the youngest footballers at this showpiece event.
Uneven Field
Although women’s football has gone mainstream and acquired a large number of television viewers all over the globe in recent years, the path to its present popularity was quite rocky and subject to patriarchal hegemony. Unnerved by the spectacle of a massive turnout of 53,000 spectators at all women’s soccer games in 1920, the Football Association, which governs the sport in England, forbade the use of playgrounds for professional men’s teams from hosting women’s matches in 1921, proclaiming “…the sport was quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged…”
This ban was revoked only 50 years later in 1971. Germany had withdrawn a similar ban a year earlier in 1970. The US followed suit in 1972, with the passing of Title IX, a law that banned organisations discriminating on the basis of sex from receiving funds from the federal government.
India’s Tryst
Women’s football in India started becoming popular only in the 1970s. For nearly four decades, it suffered from a lack of official patronage and dearth of resources and did not have any relative advantage vis-a-vis the men’s game. Although the Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal formed their respective women’s teams during the 2000-01 season, it was only after 2010, that women’s soccer was accorded its due importance by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
The Northeast, especially Manipur, and Jharkhand, soon emerged as the hubs for women’s soccer. The predominance of Manipur can be gauged by the fact that in the present Indian U-17 Women’s team, it had a major representation of seven players. More than the State patronage, the girls’ indomitable willpower, dogged determination to brave all odds and individual brilliance have made a perceptible change in the standard of the game. Such was her passion for football that Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, the current Indian women’s skipper, withstood repeated spankings from her mother for playing the game. The stern mother had to finally yield ground to her daughter’s perseverance and unflagging zeal for playing football.
Although the Calcutta giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal formed their respective women’s teams during the 2000-01 season, it was only after 2010 that women’s soccer was accorded its due importance by AIFF
Being a daily wager’s daughter did not deter Astam Oraon from donning national flannels and leading the present U-17 women’s squad. Several promising footballers have weathered snide remarks, chastisements and taunts from their family members, neighbours and friends to make their soccer dreams come true.
Dismal Performance
The humiliating losses (0-8 against USA, 0-3 to Morocco and 0-5 to Brazil) exposed the chinks in the Indian team’s armour and preparations for the World Cup. The Indian girls were found deficient in speed, ball control, goalkeeping, runs down the flanks and the middle, passing accuracy, taking the long-ball approach of aerial crosses from the mid-field to the strikers in front, confidence while launching attacks and the lingering vulnerabilities in a highly porous defence, etc.
The occasional switch from the 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1 formation and the utilisation of the full complement of substitutes in their fixtures hardly made any difference to the overall performance of the team. In all three outings, the Indian squad was far below par as regards the physical fitness levels and technical acumen of their opponents. Although in the run-up to the soccer showpiece, the Indian team had undertaken tours to Italy, Norway and Spain, the ‘Blue Tigresses’ had, however, not been really exposed against much stronger and superior European and South American sides in the recent past.
Lack of domestic clubs and teams, dearth of international friendlies and exposure to different playing conditions, absence of proper training facilities, basic infrastructure and playgrounds at the grassroots level, inadequate allocation of budget by the AIFF and, above all, the patriarchal mindset that inhibits the entry of talented girl footballers in the national arena have proved to be the Achilles’ heel in the promotion of women’s soccer in the country.
The existing societal norms generally preclude promising youngsters from pursuing soccer or any other sporting vocation in general for a meaningful living. This is further reinforced by reported instances of sexual harassment of women players at the hands of the coaches and administrators in different sports. Despite tall talks about women empowerment, job opportunities for promising sportswomen, especially in soccer, are few and far between.
Misplaced Optimism
Prior to the tournament, both the Indian coach Thomas Lennart Dennerby and skipper Astam Oraon sounded quite upbeat about the performance of the team. Their optimism about “challenging the best in the group stage” was short-lived as the Indian eves did not reap the benefits of playing on home turf. Their humble capitulation and inability to score even a single goal disappointed the fans and the soccer connoisseurs, who were eagerly looking forward to a heart-warming performance and some semblance of resistance even in defeat.
After their exit at the group stage itself, coach Dennerby rued the fact that five months of preparation prior to the showpiece event were not enough to build a combative unit. Perhaps he has a point worth pondering over. The Brazilian girls, who have been highly impressive in their outings are put through the exacting grill of league matches for nine months in a year.
Lack of domestic clubs, basic infrastructure, little exposure to different playing conditions and inadequate allocation of budget by AIFF have proved to be the Achilles’ heel in the promotion of women’s soccer in the country
The coach, AIFF and the team think-tank have their work cut out for properly scouting and nurturing talent for building a formidable squad for the near future. Being the hosts this time, India had gained automatic entry among the competing teams. For the next edition of this prestigious biennial event, India will have to qualify from the continental competition, a herculean task by the present standards.
A single Astam Oraon in defence with her incisive tackles and defensive runs, an agile Babina Devi Lisham in the middle or the fleet-footed Anita Kumari in the wings cannot do wonders on their own. All the constituents have to gel together as a cohesive unit to make their presence felt as a highly competitive entity in the international arena.
Nurturing Talent
The AIFF should take a cue from the pioneering work undertaken by some non-profit organisations such as Rural Development Trust (RDT), Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh), Yuwa India, Hutup village (Jharkhand), Mahila Jan Adhikar Samiti (MJAS), Ajmer (Rajasthan), and Alakhpura Football Club, Bhiwani (Haryana), in promoting the game among girls in rural areas. These initiatives have helped unearth pools of talented youngsters.
The focus on football training, along with proper education, has given a new lease of life to the sprightly youngsters in unshackling their minds from caste, class and religious taboos and patriarchal prejudices.
At the non-descript Alakhpura village, the cradle of girl soccer aspirants in Haryana, the young enthusiasts do not have any energy drinks and special dietary supplements. Roasted Chana (chickpea) and handpump water near the playfield keep their adrenaline going. The lure of scholarships for pursuing regular studies and higher education and prospects of State government jobs stoke their passion for soccer. Two promising stars — Shailja and Varshika — did the village proud when they made it into the current U-17 team. Incidentally, the Alakhpura FC is regularly funded by contributions from the villagers. Rigorous practice sessions are organised at the break of dawn and after school hours so that studies can continue uninterrupted. Alakhpura stands out as a beacon of hope in a State notorious for its glaring gender disparities in many spheres.
MJAS, a women-led, rights-based organisation, seeks to rewrite the rules of patriarchy through football. MJAS has under its wings 500 girls drawn from Chachiyawas, Hansiyawas and other adjoining villages in Ajmer district.
Using soccer as a catalyst for social change, Yuwa India (Jharkhand) conducts one of the largest girls’ football training programmes in the country. RDT has entered into a collaborative arrangement with LaLiga Foundation, Spain, to nurture football among girls in the most marginalised communities at the grassroots level in Anantapur district. The AIFF and State Federations can certainly chip in with resources and corporate sponsorship to give the much-needed shot in the arm for women’s soccer.
A long haul ahead indeed for the ‘Blue Tigresses’ to hit a purple patch and be reckoned as a soccer powerhouse in the not-too-distant future!
(The author is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi)