I am living my dream: Burrett

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Jyoti Ann Burrett

Jyoti Ann Burrett can easily pass off as an executive. The 23-year old Delhi girl holds a master degree in Sports and Health Science from the University of Exeter, but her heart beats for football.

“I get a lot of strange reactions as to why I opted for football over a corporate career,” Burrett, who has been selected to the India squad for AFC Cup qualifiers, was quoted as saying.
“People ask why I didn’t opt for a well-paid desk job after completion of my Masters degree but I was clear that this is what I wanted to do... to represent my country in football.”
Women’s football in India doesn’t guarantee financial security, but Burrett says she was “determined to follow her heart”.
“Many would ask me ‘Are you going to earn enough out of playing football over a corporate job? What does your future has in store for you. But football is my first love and like every other kid, I dreamt of representing India.
“I am happy I am doing it now.”
Talking about her entry into the national team, Burrett said she came to know about the camp for the AFC Cup while playing for a club in Delhi.
“I heard about the camp for the AFC Cup trials. I went for it and got selected,” she said. “It’s a different feeling representing your country. It’s an achievement for me. It changed my mindset completely and I take the game very seriously now.”
An alumni of Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun and St. Stephen’s College in the capital, Burrett says it all began as a hobby.
“I began with football juggling and I am capable of performing a lot of aerial stunts with the football. You know it’s the showy aspect of the game.
“But only in college, I started taking football seriously and developed a keen interest in the sport,” the 23-year-old said.
“I started playing University football in the UK and also trained with Tottenham Hotspur in their pre-season camp last year which helped me immensely.”