Before fulfilling her obligations and playing a practice match with the UPSA players, Devi threw light on the recently concluded Indian Women’s League (IWL) where her team finished as the runners up and also what needs to be done to get the women’s game on par with the men’s game going forward. Speaking to Pranav Shahaney, Devi shared her point of view about the game.
The IWL season recently got over and you scored a staggering 26 goals to propel your team to the final and also finished with the Golden Boot. How was the campaign as a whole for you?
It has always been my dream to finish as the top scorer and I’m glad I achieved that feat this season. Last season I scored only 12 goals so it was a remarkable feat in comparison.
I wanted to better my performances from the previous seasons and move forward and I’m happy to have done that.
Throughout the country, there are very few tournaments that happen for girls. Are you happy with it or do you think there should be more competitions taking place?
In Manipur, we have a lot of tournaments at the inter-club and district level. The IWL qualifiers also take place there, so women have a lot of tournaments to play in. At the national level, I think there should be more tournaments for sure.
{{/usCountry}}In Manipur, we have a lot of tournaments at the inter-club and district level. The IWL qualifiers also take place there, so women have a lot of tournaments to play in. At the national level, I think there should be more tournaments for sure.
{{/usCountry}}Currently, only the national championship and the IWL are there at that level and occasionally we have the trials for the national team.
Having been to the city and the state before, where do you think the level is at in comparison to the north-eastern states?
I had been contracted to FC Pune City but I couldn’t represent them due to certain rules that allowed me to represent three clubs only in one year. Having watched my teammates and the other players, I can say that there is a lot of talent here.
Why a lot of national players are coming from those states is because a number of matches take place there, thus they get a platform to hone their skills. There, in every household sports is given priority.
What do you think needs to be done to ensure women from other states can also push for a berth in the national team?
The girls need to be coached from the grassroots level to be shown how the game is meant to be played.
Also, the IWL is now involving women from different states into the game and it’s giving us a clearer picture of the level of football in the country.
Are there any additional challenges you face in being a policewoman along with a footballer?
No, I don’t think so. I consider both ad my duties. In Manipur, they know that I’ll be needing time off to go and train with the team but in the offseason, I’m working as a policewoman again.
I think I manage to give my undivided attention to both things.
The men’s game has been getting a lot of coverage, let it be the Indian Super League (ISL), I-League and games of the national team. Why do you think the women’s game isn’t getting it?
Women’s football needs to be supported to get it on par with the men’s game. People probably don’t even know who we are, and that’s due to the lack of coverage and interest.
It’s not that we’re lacking in quality, but only we lack the support of the people. This time when we played the IWL, there was no crowd.
There’s also a massive disparity in the wages between men and women. Do you think that’s one of the primary reasons that the women’s game isn’t growing as much as a lot of the players have secondary jobs as well?
Yes, I certainly think so. Especially the underprivileged kids, they need to be looked after better by probably roping in a few sponsors.
They should be sent to different countries to play as the exposure they receive is immense.
When it comes to salaries, there’s a huge difference between the salaries of men and women.
We’re not paid anything for transfers and even in the IWL, we aren’t paid that much. For the women’s game to be on par with the men’s game, I believe we deserve to be paid more than what we are.
What’s your message for the next generation?
They should always remember where they’re coming from and what they’re aiming to achieve.
They should be passionate, aggressive and disciplined and not lose their focus at any time. They also need to have the right attitude which will help us take them forward and become valuable players in the future.