NEW DELHI: In the lanes of Haryana’s Jind and Rohtak, where footballs often bounce off the boundaries of rice fields, a quiet revolution is taking flight. A group of teenage girls—many with cropped boy-cut hair and dreams bigger than their villages—are packing their boots and jerseys for an extraordinary journey.
For the first time in their lives, they will board a plane, taste foreign cuisines and step onto Swedish soil—not as tourists, but as footballers representing India at the world’s largest youth football championship, the Gothia Cup in Sweden. “We’ve always wanted to play football,” said Nancy, a Class 9 student from Jind. “Our excitement is not just about the matches ahead — it’s about airplane windows, unknown languages, and the chance to prove that going against parents and grandparents can also make you successful sometimes.”
The Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi hosted a send-off ceremony for two inspiring football teams: the Haryana India U-15 Girls’ Team and the Special Olympics Bharat Boys’ Team, on Thursday. These athletes are gearing up for a tournament that will witness over 1,900 teams from more than 70 countries, making it the world’s largest and most inclusive youth football tournament.
Dr. Gaurav Gautam, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Sports & Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, Government of Haryana, who was present at the occasion, said, “There was a time when Haryana was known for its gender imbalance. Today, these young girls are rewriting that story—with football boots, not words. To see our daughters from rural heartlands flying to Sweden, participating in the prestigious Gothia Cup, is a moment of immense pride for every Haryanvi. They are not just playing a game; they are playing for every girl who dared to dream.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Amit Bhalla, Chief Patron of the Haryana Football Association and Vice-Chairman of Manav Rachna Educational Institutions, said:
“Watching young girls from the rural heartlands of Haryana—and boys who have risen beyond ability challenges—now don the Indian jersey and prepare to compete on a global stage, is both humbling and historic. It reaffirms our collective commitment to the vision of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, Beti Khilao’, not just as a slogan, but as a lived reality.”