Guwahati, Feb. 12: Assam's only kabaddi player in the Indian women's team in the 12th South Asian Games, Hasina Begum, says a professional league such as the Pro Kabaddi League will encourage women in the Northeast to take up the game in a big way.

"The talk of a league for women by 2017 has given us confidence to focus on the sport. Apart from the financial benefits, such a league will open up more job avenues for the girls in Assam and the region and motivate them to take up kabaddi," Hasina, a keen follower of the Bengal Warriors in the league, told The Telegraph today.

The athlete, who hails from Chamata in Nalbari district but now lives in Azara near here, has already represented Assam in tournaments held in Pondicherry, Bihar, Manipur, Hyderabad, Maharashtra, Bengal and Jharkhand.

In her late twenties now, the mother of two, however, wants the state government to be more supportive in promoting the game at the grassroots level.

"There are many talented girls who cannot get to the national side unlike those from Haryana or Karnataka because of the lack of support from the government. I am fortunate to have the backing of the All-Assam Kabaddi Association and given the 13 years of experience at the national level, I finally made the cut," Hasina, an employee of Assam Police, said.

Ahead of the Games, Hasina, who is now a defender, was part of the Indian team that underwent a 15-day camp at Lucknow followed by a 10-day training session in Jaipur.

"I was a raider before but an injury forced me to become a defender. But the game is also about technique as much as it is about strength and speed," she said.

Asked about India's chances, "We won against Nepal last evening and are confident of a similar result against Sri Lanka this evening," Hasina, who had played the opening game yesterday, said a couple of hours before the match this afternoon.