Subroto Cup: Haryana girls bend it like Beckham

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, October 11

Playing ball comes naturally to girls in Alakhpura village of Bhiwani district.

Ever since the girls’ football has been introduced to the Subroto Cup, a national-level school tournament, Alakhpura girls have been consistently doing well in it. They were the semifinalists in the inaugural event in 2011, runners-up in 2013. In 2014, another set of Haryana girls, from Mangali village, won the title. Alakhpura girls roared back to clinch the title in 2015. And now they have done it again in 2016.

A 52nd-minute goal by Anay Bai was good enough for the Girls Senior Secondary School, Alakhpura (Bhiwani), to lift the U-17 junior girls trophy in the 57th Subroto Cup International Football tournament at the Dr. Ambedkar Stadium in New Delhi recently. The Bhiwani girls defeated Sports School, Kohima, 1-0 in the final on Monday.

Alakhpura girls were aided by a huge crowd that had come from their village, a routine feature in any match that figures a team from Haryana. But on the field, both the teams gave their best to keep the spectators glued to their seats for 90 minutes. Coach Sonika Bijarania said, “The team played six matches and they remained unbeatable. They defeated Mizoram school (30-0), Air Force School, Delhi, (20-0), Chattisgarh (7-0), Bangladesh (3-1). In the semifinals, we beat Meghalaya 8-0. In the end, we beat Nagaland 1-0 to clinch the trophy.”

Captain Nisha Baghdia scored 16 goals in the tournament but it was Anany Bai’s goal in the final that clinched the trophy.

Village sarpanch Sanjay Chauhan said, “The news has delighted the village before Diwali. Our girls are extremely talented and train in a village ground with bare minimum facilities.” The win by girls from a Haryana government school is remarkable as all the team members belong to very humble background. 

Their parents are either farmers or daily wagers. The girls have played at the international level earlier.