| ” India’s female footballer, Aditi Chauhan fights for recognition and a Visa that allows her to follow her dreams.” – AlJazeera, Nov 22, 2015
When we think of Indian Football, the first name that crops up in our mind is either that of Baichung Bhutia, IM Vijayan or more recently, Sunil Chetri. But there is a certain individual right now, who is currently in UK and toiling hard every single day to make her dreams come true and give Indian Women’s Footballthe attention it deserves.
Yes, you read it right. It’s a ‘She’ and we are talking about ‘Indian Women’s Football’.
To many of you this would make no sense. Many of you after reading this would be surprised to learn that India even has a Women’s Football team. But for you folks, not only does India have a Women’s football team, they are ranked 56 out of 177 teams in the world while Men’s team is ranked 167 out of 209 teams. Doesn’t it make sense to support this cause?
One female who has made it to the world’s most followed league, English Premier league, is the Indian National Women’s Team Goalkeeper, Aditi Chauhan.
Not only has she signed a season-long contract with West Ham Ladies Football Club (WHLFC), Chauhan became the first Indian woman to play English league football. She was also recently awarded the ‘Woman in Football Award’ at the 3rd Asian Football Awards at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
She was also featured by top International and Indian daily, links mentioned below:
But despite all her achievements, she is uncertain of how her future would span out. She is not even sure if she will be able to finish her first season at WHLFC as her student visa expires in three months and her expenses are paid for by her parents back in India. WHLFC are unable to grant her a visa nor does the club pay for her contributions because of the FA league policies that prohibit a third tier English women’s league clubs from paying their players or sponsoring their visas.
But despite London’s increasing rent, a sportsperson’s dietary, fitness and travel expenditures, and a future that hinges on several ifs and buts, Chauhan toils hard everyday and gives the game all she’s got, for it’s the passion for the game that got her thus far, and she is confident that this would take her ahead too.
Let’s pledge our support and help Aditi get the support and help that she not only wants, but also deserves. Here’s what she needs:
- Help from Indian government for her Work Visa so that she can continue her season at West Ham.
- Financial support for her efforts.
- Wishes from all Indians so that she can continue her journey and explore the path that has never been explored before and motivate thousands of females in India to take up the beautiful game.
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