BENGALURU : Ngangbam Sweety Devi: Do not be fooled by the Indian woman footballer’s middle name. The central defender is a tough nut to crack and her strong on-the-ball tackles have made life tough for forwards in the ongoing Indian Women’s League here. The youngster might not posses a muscular body, but does not get floored too easily by her strong opponents. So what is the secret? It lies some 3500km away in Manipur, her hometown.
Devi learned the tricks of the trade in her native place since she was 10. The sport was also in her genes as her father, Ngangbam Ruhikanta Singh, is a football coach in the region. And she would just tag along with her dad, who would ask her to practice alongside boys of her age. Little did she know then how competing against the other gender would bear fruit. “It was not an easy thing to play against the boys as they were much stronger and faster than me.
My dad used to say that if I practice more with tougher boys, it will be easier against girls on the field as it will help me improve on various fronts. I’m very happy that I followed such kind of an approach as it is still helping me against stronger opponents,” Devi told this newspaper. After having left an impression at the U-19 level for India, the first edition of the IWL was a big test for her. She represented Eastern Sporting Union then and her performances helped her get a call up for a senior team camp. Earning a senior national cap was imminent and she made her debut in 2017 against South Korea in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asia Cup qualification.
The first taste of international football at the top level helped her understand the need to improve to compete successfully and earn a name in the sport. In the last couple of years, she has gradually improved and established herself as one of the key defenders in the national team. She is leaving no stone unturned to become a quality player. Though she practices with her club KRYPHSA Football Club, which is currently playing in the IWL when in Manipur, the 21-year-old still does not miss a chance to train along with other stronger boys team in the region.
She views every session as a challenge to make her stronger mentally and physically. “I still train with boys back home. It helps me a lot, especially when playing international matches. The boys try to play lightly with me as I am a girl. But I do not like it that way so I tell them, ‘you play with full energy and I will also do the same’ as it is going to help me, overall,” added Devi, who is happy with the development of India women’s football with the team getting international exposures as well.