In India, Women’s Football has More Potential Than Men’s. Is That Enough?
At school, football always fell on Fridays. The class bell would ring and we would rush to the boxed-in astroturf pitch. Kitted out in untucked white shirts, loose striped ties and jet-black school shoes—there was no better way to start a match. We had one complaint: the girls would only get to play football once a week. The rest of the time, the pitch was reserved for the boys.
By secondary school, football matches became more frequent. P.E. class would often turn into competitive matches. And the stakes were always high: exclusive bragging rights for the rest of the week. I didn’t see a future in sports—least of all in football. As much as I loved crowding around the television to watch the Premiere League with my older brother, it felt like indulging an interest rather than a career worth chasing. After all, I could barely name a female South Asian player, so what were the chances of becoming one?
The stats haven’t done much to change my opinion. In October last year, Arsenal were called out for posting a photograph of the women’s squad without any black or ethnic-minority players in the 27-member team. It wasn’t until five years ago that we began to hear of women in football like Alessia Russo and Alex Morgan but almost every recognisable face gazing back at us from the screen has been white so far. Now, South Asian names like Sam Kerr and Manisha Kalyan getting airtime as well.
These winds of change have also reached India’s football pitches. Last year, FIFA announced that India was planning to “supercharge” access to women’s football. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) marked this move as an opportunity that would not only allow the vital infrastructure required to develop the sport to its potential but also supply promising players with the means to nurture their talent. From hosting the AFC Asian Women’s Cup and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2022 to investing in a long-term footballing strategy, the AIFF is helping establish a designated sporting pipeline for young women that champions players from amateur clubs all the way to elite levels. It is perhaps this increased focus on women’s football that will help FIFA get their ambitious new target across the finish line: 60 million women footballers, globally, by 2026.
Dalima Chhibber, a defender in Kickstart FC and India’s national team, has been a footballer since 2004. In that time, she’s seen fan engagement, investment and interest in the support take an upward curve. As the sport’s popularity grows in the country, she hopes her experience on the pitch will encourage other young girls to take up football. “It’s important for them to see professional South Asian women players on the field, trust that their dreams are achievable and believe that football does not only exist in Europe or the West but in Asia too,” she says. While no team from South Asia has competitively played in the Women’s World Cup so far, Chhibber is hopeful this may change as the sport receives more investment closer to home. “There has been an increase both in the level of competition the and quality of players. Plus, football has become accessible to young players through media. All of this plays a big role in inspiring young girls and providing them with role models.”
Women’s football doesn’t have a very long history within South Asia. The SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Women’s Championship only began in 2010 and has held six editions to date. As tournaments and infrastructure in the game continue to materialise, young players can gain more than representation: the opportunity to make a living in sports.
Indian national team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan is the first South Asian player to compete competitively in English league football. A former West Ham athlete, she studied sports science and hopes for India’s progress to prove that there is a viable career in football. “When I was growing up, I didn’t have any idols to look up to in professional football. I didn’t even know that women’s football existed in India,” she recalls. Recognising a neglected sporting system in India, Chauhan learned from England’s footballing academies and their training standards and decided to bring her knowledge back home. In 2018, she launched She Kicks Football Academy, India’s first women-focused footballing program. “The idea was to create the right professional environment for young girls to pursue their passion and dreams about playing professionally for India.
”Growing football on the pitch is vital but the buzz outside of tournaments and heated rivalries is just as important. As much-needed funding continues to boost women’s sports in India, football personalities like Kaljit Atwal are working hard to ensure that the progress made in the field so far is not eclipsed by the obvious challenges in the way. “The women’s game has rapidly grown and is only at the beginning of what’s to come. However, I also believe that South Asian women are facing systemic neglect,” Atwal explains. “The absence of robust grassroots programs and inadequate support from football authorities is creating issues for South Asian women to participate in the sport.”
Last year, AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey admitted to believing that the women’s football team in India has a better chance of progressing in international football than the men’s squad. “Our women’s team is ahead of our men’s team in terms of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup because the women’s team is ranked 11th in Asia. If we do just a little bit better we can qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” he had said.
Despite his statement and the impressive headway they have made in recent years, women’s football remains underfunded and underappreciated. There is a dire need for higher investment that will reflect young women’s culture and future on the pitch back at them and allow football to organically flourish in countries that have not had an opportunity to champion the game despite having the talent to do so. Seleena Kaur Grewal, a striker for London’s Southall Athletic WFC who has been playing semi-professionally for three years, hopes the game will soon receive the same standard of investment and attention as the men’s games. “I hope to see women footballers making higher salaries, stadiums filling out and more young girls pursuing football,” she softly declares, almost sending it out into the world like a wish.
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