Aditi Singh Chauhan is not only a member of a somewhat rare breed — a woman footballer — now she is also the first Indian woman to play English league football. The 22-year-old goalkeeper has recently made her debut for one of England’s top football clubs, West Ham United, in the opening game of the season against Coventry City. West Ham lost the game 0-5 but Aditi being part of such a prestigious squad has generated widespread interest in women’s football in India and she is being seen as one of the newest football heroes of the country.
An elated Aditi says, “I am really happy to have got this opportunity, I look forward to my season with West Ham and hope to improve as a player and goalkeeper by playing at such a high standard league with such good players. I feel a sense of responsibility too, as now I am representing India here and I need to perform well to make my supporters proud.” She feels that she had a good game overall, despite a few nervous initial moments. Wearing the jersey instilled in her a tremendous sense of pride, nevertheless.
“It felt great to be wearing a premier league club’s jersey with my name on it. I was a bit nervous also because I knew that there were high expectations of me,” recalls the young goalie. West Ham seems to have been her destiny, even though she has had to overcome several roadblocks along the way. She was a student of Loughborough University and a part of their football team.
After she completed her degree there, she moved to London with a job at Decathlon. “I wanted to continue playing football and gave trials for Women’s Super League club Millwall but I was told by the manager of the club that FA rules do not allow me to play for a Super League club with a student visa,” she shares. Incidentally, the goalkeeping coach of the Milwall women’s team is also the goalkeeping coach of West Ham. “He was the one who suggested that I try for West Ham as they were looking for a goalkeeper. I played one friendly game for them before I signed the contract. I wish to play for a super league club in future,” Aditi says.
The young woman has been immersed in sports through her growing years. She has played zonal basketball in school and that, she feels, has helped develop her goalkeeping skills. “My basketball coach from school, Mr Anil Yadav, suggested that I give trials as a goalkeeper for Delhi. That is how I started playing football. Back then, I never thought that I would be playing for a club in England one day,” she says.
The environment in India is not known to be very encouraging for women in sports. Aditi says that besides physical hurdles, taking up sports as a career poses a great psychological challenge too. “I have been lucky to be surrounded by very positive people — my friends and family, my coach Mr Om Chhibber and my mentor Mr Jagdev Chauhan of Om fitness Academy who supported and encouraged me throughout. Initially, my family was a bit apprehensive but since the moment they saw me play and perform well, they’ve been very supportive of my choice,” she says.
The footballer feels that opportunities for women’s football have opened up much more today, as compared to what they used to be when she was in school. “There are more tournaments happening now as compared to earlier. We do, however, need to have a national league for girls so that they do not stop playing football after school and can continue training too. This will eventually also improve the standard of women’s football in India,” she points out.
A goalkeeper’s job is often presumed to be a thankless one as a single folly can wash away the glory of several brilliant saves. How has her experience been with it so far? “A goalkeeper’s position is a responsible one, as it is said that they are the first attackers and the last defenders. I like that challenge and responsibility — it is a part of my nature off the field as well. I believe in myself and my capabilities, and that has been my inspiration,” she affirms with pride.
