The announcement of the national under-17 football team squad in 2008 brought Loitongbam Ashalata Devi to tears. The girl from Imphal, Manipur, experienced a bittersweet moment. She was one step closer to representing India after years of toil, effort, and a fight against family pressure to give up the game she had grown to like.
But she wasn’t entirely as overcome by her own decision as she thought. The girl was disappointed when a few athletes from various places throughout the nation with whom she had spent some beautiful moments during a three-month camp before the announcement did not make the team.
Who is Loitongbam Ashalata Devi?
She has created history, and 2019 has been one of her dream years. She is the first Indian – male or female – to be nominated for AFC Footballer of the Year. He is the first Indian women’s football team captain to guide the squad into the second round of Olympic qualifying. India won the 2019 SAFF Championship under her leadership. She retook the initiative and led Sethu FC to their first Indian Women’s League championship.
She played in the Maldivian league and was only the second woman to be invited to play for a foreign team. And she was named the All India Football Federation’s Women’s Player of the Year for the 2018–19 campaign (AIFF). She has also played on numerous championship teams at the national and regional levels.
Female Football Players in India Selected for Fifa U-17 World Cup 2022
The FIFA U-17 World Cup 2022 squad for the India U-17 National Women’s team has been released. Thomas Dennerby, the team’s head coach, revealed the 21-person roster. India was placed in Group A with the United States, Brazil, and Morocco. At Bhubaneswar’s Kalinga Stadium on October 11, they will face the USA, followed by Morocco and Brazil. All India Football Federation (AIFF) Announced Its Bid to Host the AFC Asian Cup In 2027. It was a momentous day for the Indian women’s football team.
Loitongbam Inspired a New Generation of Youngsters
Ashalata Devi had to give young Paul a little motivation to get up in front of the camera because he felt awkward and overawed by all the media’s attention. With the AFC Asian Women’s Cup set to take place in India in 2022, Ashalata will also have the chance to compete in the Asian Cup in front of her home crowd before the men’s team.
Representing India on such a significant stage will be a great honor. The entire crew is enthusiastic about it, and we are well-prepared. We witnessed the 2017 U-17 World Cup and the level of support that the team received. We anticipate receiving the same assistance. Inspiring the upcoming group of Indian female footballers is one of Ashalata’s other main goals.
She will emphasize the importance of getting started early. Football players can start as early as 7 or 8. I started playing when I was 12 or 13. The first four to five years are crucial for developing and teaching players fundamentals.
She thinks that the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, two events in 2022, will encourage more females to participate in sports. They will be motivated to watch them perform in front of packed houses. Loitongbam Ashalata Devi believes India will have a good chance of winning the bid for the AFC Asian Cup in 2027.
Also Read: Vandana Luthra – The Founder of VLCC – An Inspiration to the Women of India
