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Why Manipur dominates women’s football in India
Seven players from Manipur have made it to the Indian squad for the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup
It was a dream come true for the mother of Melody Chanu Keisham, India’s Under-17 women football team goalkeeper, when her daughter made it to the Indian women football squad this time. Melody’s father Keisham Tomba Meitei (51) and mother Ranjana Leima work in a sandstone quarry for their livelihood near their village Ingourok Mayai Leikai under Heirok Assembly constituency in Manipur’s Thoubal district. “We have so many untold stories which we did not want to recall in bringing up our children. We are praying for their success,” Ranjana Leima said.
Seven players from Manipur have made it to the Indian squad for the ongoing FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, hosted by three Indian cities– Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Margao (Goa). These seven players, who are among the 21 players to have been selected to represent India, have overcome huge challenges to make it to the international arena. The parents of most of these players are from poor family backgrounds-- some are mason, some are daily wage earners and some run hotels or automobile workshops.
The seven players are Monalisha Devi Moirangthem, Melody Chanu Keisham (Goalkeeper), Shilky Devi Hemam, Babina Devi Lisham (Midfielder), Lynda Kom Serto, Rejiya Devi Laishram and Shelia Devi Loktongbam (Forward). Most of these players are studying in Class 11 & 12.
According to commentators, the best word to describe the spirited Manipuri players is triple S: Skill, Speed and Stamina. In the senior women’s national team, eight players are from Manipur. The state women football team beat Odisha by two goals to nil to retain women‘s football title in the recently concluded 36th National Games in Gujarat. This was the fourth national title for Manipur.
Young Welfare Club
Interestingly, five out of Manipur’s seven footballers in the Indian squad in the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup are from the Young Welfare Club (YWC), a football club at Langthabal in the outskirt of Imphal. They are Melody Chanu Keisham, Shilky Devi Hemam, Babina Devi Lisham, Lynda Kom Serto and Rejiya Devi Laishram.
Mutum Surmala Chanu, a police woman and former assistant coach of India’s senior women football team, is currently giving training to many young women footballers at the football ground of YWC every afternoon. For Surumala, who is also a former international footballer and head coach of Manipur police women team, it is an extra effort after her daily coaching session for the Manipur police women football team in the morning. For the past one decade or so, as many as 70 young women footballers under different age groups are undergoing regular residential football training sessions under the aegis of YWC.
“In their early days, most women footballers in Manipur faced discouragement from various quarters including their own parents. Being born and brought up in poor families, they couldn’t even afford to buy football kits such as boots etc,” said Surmala.
“Five of the seven players selected for U-17 team joined our club sometime in the 2015-16 and since then they have been provided regular training with a limited diet support. During the Covid pandemic, we provided intensive training on endurance, strength and skipping for these five players in the morning and football skills and techniques in the afternoon,” the coach added.
When contacted on phone, the parents of Babina Devi Lisham, Shilky Devi Hemam, Lynda Kom Serto and Rejiya Devi Laishram expressed happiness over their children’s participation in the World Cup matches. They also thanked Surmala’s tireless efforts in shaping their children’s dream in football.
“We’re so happy to learn that they are playing for such a big event,” said midfielder Babina’s father Lisham Kunjo (55), a mason and a resident of Thoubal Haokha Maning Leikai in Thoubal district. “My daughter (Babina) started playing with Nobab (a ball shaped citrous fruit) from an early age,” he added. Father of Jackson Singh Thounaojam, a defensive midfielder who made to India’s U-17 football World Cup team in 2017, was the initial guide of Babina before she joined YWC.
Bechicha, pet name of Melody Chanu, started playing football when she was in Class 5 at Ingourok Youth Club ground as her father is a football lover. She joined YWC in 2016-17.
Shilky’s father Suresh Hemam, a football lover, shared a similar story. Shilky’s brother Bijoyo plays for a popular local club-AMOFA in Manipur. “Shilky was not given the right position to play during the opening match,” said Suresh, who runs a rice hotel at Moirang.
Rejiya Devi’s father L Sashikanta, who runs an automobile workshop near his house at Kakwa Laiphrakpam Leikai in Imphal West district, said his daughter’s football career started in 2018. Since then she never turned back. “I will continue to support in achieving her goal.”
Forward player Lynda Kom’s mother said she supported her daughter, youngest among six siblings, from the moment she proposed to play football.
“The sad part is our club had been running all these football activities without its own building as our club building was demolished during a river cleaning project of Nambul river sometime in 2019,” said team manager of YWC, M Johnson.
“Since then, the footballers are using an abandoned and extended kutcha house as their dormitory. But we managed to train and support them with whatever we have and voluntary support from a few well-wishers,” Surmala added.
When asked about the dominance of Manipur in the national team, Surmala said, “Everyone is getting similar training but the inborn qualities such as courage, willingness and seriousness in our state women players make them matchless and make Manipur a right place for women football.”
“To me football is in our blood. Somehow, we moved forward as we are serious in achieving our goals,” she concluded.
