KOCHI: Three years ago, Priya PV got a call from the Gokulam Kerala FC president, just a week before the second edition of the Indian Women’s League was going to start, asking whether she could create a team to play in the tournament.
The coach quickly sprung into action and pieced together a squad that finished fifth that season. A year later, she was better prepared and took her team to the semifinal, but for a club that is hungry for silverware, that wasn’t good enough.
Finally, on Friday, on their third attempt, Gokulam women got their hands on the IWL title. In the process, they became the first team from Kerala to win the crown.
“At the start of every season, things are the same. There is no time to prepare. Everything goes on at such a fast pace that you have to be on your toes. This season, we managed to put together a team that had a good mix of experience and youth. The players have responded well to the challenge,” said Priya.
The final was a closely-fought affair with Gokulam beating KRYPHSA FC 3-2 at the Bangalore Football Stadium.
They swept aside every team they faced this campaign and won all the matches in the competition. “We won every match, but no games were easy. Just look at the final. Ten players of KRYPHSA play in the national team. That gives an indication of just how strong they were. All of our victories were hardearned,” said Priya.
They scored a total of 34 goals in the whole tournament which gave an indication of how good a unit they were. In the semifinal, they had gotten the better of 2019 champions Sethu FC.
“We always stick to our philosophy of playing attacking football. Even in the final, it was important that we stayed true to our style,” said Priya.
On Friday, against KRYPHSA — who had conceded just one goal in the entire campaign — they raced away to a 2-0 lead by the 25th minute. The Malabarians scored as early as the 49th second from kick-off with Prameshwori Devi scoring. Kamala Devi scored in the 25th minute to put Gokulam in a comfortable position.
KRYPHSA staged a fightback starting with a 33rd-minute strike from Dangmei Grace before Ratanbala Devi made it 2-2 in the 72nd minute. The league’s top scorer Sabitra Bhandari scored the winner in the 87th minute to seal a thrilling win.
The IWL is the club’s second national-level title this season. The men’s team had won the Durand Cup last August. The fact that Gokulam were the only team from the I-League or the Indian Super League to have a team in the IWL gives them some additional bragging rights.
“I hope this win acts as a trigger for a positive change for women’s football in Kerala. In the broader picture, the IWL was a success. But a lot has to be done at the grassroot-level for women’s football to progress in the country,” said Priya.