11 long years in men’s domain

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Fousiya M., one of the handful women football coaches in the State, has a lot to take pride on.

This October marks her 11th year of coaching career and until now, she has trained about 15 State women football players and two international players, turning Nadakkavu Girls Higher Secondary School a powerhouse of sports.

However, her story to become a football coach, fighting all odds, is an inspirational one. “I was in football after watching the game in my school. I was not allowed to play at that time. Out of interest, my friends and I approached a district football selector and he asked us to come for a week-long camp. At that time, it was not welcome for a girl from a Muslim family attending the camp and I had to lie to get the money to buy boots,” she says.

“Luckily, I also had saved some money during Eid-ul-fitr for dresses and used it for camp expenses. We were selected for the district team and played memorable matches. I then went on to represent the State team also,” she adds.

She says that without her help of father, she would have never able to opt this career. “My father was an Gulf expatriate and whenever he came, he bought me boots and sports dresses. There were lot of protests within my family members for allowing me to play but my father's support thwarted all of it,” she reminisces.

Fousiya started her coaching career after a two-year break from sports field due to her marriage. “I had some family problems. I started to give football training and within two years, sports council took me as coach,” she says.

She has also participated in national level competitions in handball, weightlifting and powerlifting in senior and junior category.

“As I have participated in other games, I am also able to give training for the students in these games also. Usually, if they are interested, we give a training at the school for a brief time prior to the championships,” she said.

All the team members of the district are coached by Fousiya M. “We need more games to develop women football. The interest among girls is increasing but there are not enough tournaments,” she says.