The World Cup is a man thing, right? Try telling that to the grandmother of all football fans.

Rita Gutjahr, 72, has grown up and old on the game. For four decades, the beautiful game has been a vital part of the grand old lady of Kalimpong?s life.

Not just as a passive viewer, either. ?I was excellent at dribbling and always gave the guys the slip when we played on the road? I?ve been glued to the game for the past four decades and although it has all become so commercial now, the magic is still there,? smiles Rita, visiting her granddaughter at Hastings and eagerly awaiting the Cup kick-off.

And who will Rita be rooting for this time? ?That little lad, Wayne Rooney!?

The grandmother would be happy to note that the little ladies of Calcutta are now in the soccer spotlight ? not playing, but gearing up to cheer.

?Earlier, girls would come shopping for World Cup tees and accessories for their father, brother or boyfriends. This time we have young ladies coming in for their share of World Cup gear. Fashion is very much a part of football now and women obviously want to sport the hottest trend,? says Partha Chowdhury, retail in-charge of the Adidas and Nike stores at City Centre and on Shakespeare Sarani.

The fact that football players today are fashion icons ? from Beckham to Kaka ? helps fan the female following, especially in the prime 16-to-24 age group.

?Women want to be a part of this colourful World Cup rather stylishly,? feels Naveen Misra, unit head at the Shoppers? Stop outlet in Forum. ?They are going for tees with eye-catching colours, like the jerseys of Brazil and Czechoslovakia, so that they can wear them post-Cup too.?

Among the Adidas jerseys (Rs 2,700), Argentina is the pop pick among women, while Brazil is unbeatable in the Nike range (Rs 2,495).

Teenagers like Ankita Agarwal of Bhawanipur Education Society refuse to be ?left out in the cold? as Cup craze grips young Calcutta. So, they?re busy picking up soccerspeak ? from midfield to metatarsal.

All that rolls easily off the tongue of Misa Acharya, 20, who fell for the game in high school. ?The football World Cup for me is huge.?

Misa has celebrity company in Nilanjana, wife of Arjun Chakraborty, and Nilanjanaa, wife of Jisshu Sengupta. ?Of course I will be watching the World Cup, and we will have friends over. Jisshu is crazy about soccer and he is so excited,? says Nilanjanaa.

But Nilanjana and Arjun plan to keep Cup watching a private affair at home. ?Both of us are very passionate about football and don?t want to socialise.?

No wonder R.C. Venkateish, managing director of ESPN India, says: ?For the World Cup, we?re expecting around 45 per cent female viewership. World Cup soccer transcends all barriers, from country to gender.?