Girls Kick the Bias in Soccer with their Passion

Jomon said that women’s football is not getting its due prominence in Kerala.
Girls Kick the Bias in Soccer with their Passion

KOCHI: The grounds that they have played on so far were mostly like their home turf- small, flawed or rough.

But on Monday, the young girls of Vanitha Sports Academy, Mevelloor, in Kottayam, got their first opportunity to step into an international football field- the one at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

“We are here to compete in the Kerala Football Association’s penalty shootout competition. But more than that, we are excited about actually being inside the stadium,” said 16-year-old Sharika V K, who has played for the state team four times but had never been to an international football stadium before.

“We have played only in college grounds and at local stadia even for the state and national-level matches. We used to come to Kochi twice or thrice a year to practise as we don’t have a big ground back home. Since we are not allowed inside the Nehru stadium, we practise at the St Albert’s College Ground outside the stadium,” said 16- year-old Lakshmika Rao, considered among the best upcoming footballers in India. It shows how bad things are for girls playing football in Kerala, said Jomon Jacob, their coach and a physical education instructor at Kunjuraman Memorial HS in Mevelloor.

Jomon said that women’s football is not getting its due prominence in Kerala. He cited the facilities being provided to male footballers and contrasted them with what is available for the women players.

“There is actually nothing. If a girl gets a call-up to play for the state, all she gets is a jersey.

Unlike the boys, who will get a football kit along with the selection notification, a girl player has to find everything by herself,” he said.Despite what Jomon termed as “unfair treatment”, the girls at Vanitha Sports Academy are determined to continue playing football.

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