Girl students of St Augustine's Day School, Barrackpore, during a football match Stock Photographer
Calcutta: The Fifa World Cup 2026, taking place thousands of kilometres away, has inspired several girls in the city and beyond who have just started playing. Kacey Gomes of St Augustine's Day School, Barrackpore, is one of them.
The Class VI student took to the game only after her school introduced its girls' team in 2023. "I had never played football before. But now, as I kept playing, I fell in love with it," she said. The team has grown from around 15 girls to nearly 30.
Kacey has since represented the school in the Under-17 Pre-Subroto Cup and an Under-14 tournament. She credits her coaches, parents and classmates for encouraging her. "They made us believe that girls can play as well," she said. The change is visible elsewhere too.
Sammbhavi Purkayastha, a Class XII student of Delhi Public School, Megacity, has played football since she was five. Her school's girls' team was formed in 2023.
"There are definitely more girls playing football today than when I was younger. Women's football in India is growing, and Bengal has tremendous talent waiting to be recognised," she said. While her family supported her, she says many teammates still face stereotypes at home. "Some are told not to play because football is considered
a boys' sport."
Not every school, however, has an official girls' team. Ankita Singh, a Class XII student of St Augustine's School Day School, Shyamnagar, says girls in her school play only inter-house matches. "When I was in Class IX, only boys played football. A few of us started playing because we felt girls should also have a team," she said. Without coaching or an official team, they cannot compete in inter-school tournaments. "Only five or six girls are seriously interested. The biggest challenge is the lack of opportunities,
coaching and support."
More than 600 kilometres away in Siliguri, Jenisha Thapa, a Class X student of Himali Boarding School, discovered football after her father took her to a neighbourhood ground in Champasari where boys were playing. "He asked if I wanted to join them. That's how I realised I could play," she said. When her school started a girls' football team, she joined immediately and now trains at the Siliguri United Academy under coach Animesh Tamang.
"When I started, very few girls played football. Today, many more have taken it up," she said. Jenisha believes inadequate infrastructure and financial support remain
the biggest hurdles.
Sharanya Biswas, also from Siliguri and a student of Jyotsnamoyee Girls’ High School, is training at Ujjwal Sangha Football Academy under coach Sanjib Deb in Shaktigarh. She has also witnessed the change in the general attitude. “When I started, there were hardly any girls playing the game. Today I see around 20 to 30 on the field,” said the Class IX student. Her school is yet to start a girls' football team, but she continues to balance her studies with three hours of practice.
Anirban Dutta, secretary of the Indian Football Association (IFA), says football has become a means of empowerment for girls across Bengal. "Many girls, especially from villages, have realised that football gives them a platform to build an identity," he said, adding that the sport has helped many secure government jobs and become role models in their communities.
"There are still inhibitions in rural areas, but those attitudes are gradually changing. We need better grounds, changing rooms, toilets and sustained financial support if grassroots girls' football
is to grow," he said.