When my daughter chose to become a footballer…

The mother of a young football player tells her little girl: this game is filled with life lessons… for you and for me!

“Amma, I want to go for football coaching,” announced my younger daughter a few months back.

Her daughter’s fascination with football has taught both mother and daughter to not be afraid to fall(Photo imaging: Parth Garg)

The author with her daughter, Nidhi

My daughter has been hanging back a bit, not fully confident about her ability to do something with the ball. But he wants her to demand an opportunity with the ball. He yells at her again: “Come on, ask for the damn ball!” She does, and one of her team mates passes to her. She manages a decent dribble before passing it on. The boys ignore her. They do not think of her as a part of the team. That will come, with time and as she becomes better at her game. But this does not faze her.

Boys don’t exclude my daughter, But they don’t think of her as part of the team

When people around us hear about our daughter’s interest in football, their reactions range from indulgent amusement to outright amazement . There’s well-meaning advice too. One parent had a point when he said, “Where will she find a group of girls to play with?” But who says she can’t play with the boys?

Sathya Ramaganapathy’s daughter Nidhi, 12, is the only girl in her football coaching team

She kicks. And misses the goal by a whisker. Her shoulders sag in disappointment. Her team mates run up to her to commiserate. “Good game,” they call out to each other before heading home.

“When people hear about our daughter’s interest in football, reactions range from amusement to amazement”

I don’t know if my daughter’s fascination with football will survive her teenage years. But she is learning to try something new. To take a shot and not be afraid to fail. To win some, lose some. To have confidence in her abilities. And most importantly, to stand up for herself in a room full of men and “ask for the damn ball!”