Chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday met girls from Jharkhand some of whom would represent India in the FIFA under-17 Women’s World Cup next year and extended complete support of the government to the young and promising soccer players hailing from far flung villages of the tribal state.
Hemant interacted with the players at Morhabadi Football Stadium in Ranchi and handed over football kits to the eight girls who are training to part of Team India for the FIFA women's World Cup in 2021.
Six of the eight players have already represented India in under-17 matches in the past. These girls are a part of a 35-member-squad from which players will be selected for the FIFA World Cup, a close aide of the CM said.
“These girls have made us proud. Now, it is the government's responsibility to ensure that they get all the necessary facilities for their training and emerge victorious next year,” Hemant said.
The Jharkhand government, he said, was framing a special policy for sportspersons, which would benefit aspiring players, current players and also those who have retired.
These eight soccer players from Jharkhand were training with other players of the Team India in Goa, but they had to return home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, their return to Jharkhand did not become a stumbling block in their training, they said.
“We are getting all facilities here to train for the tournament. I would like to thank the chief minister for being supportive and not letting the pandemic affect our preparations for the world cup,” said Poornima, a soccer player from a nondescript village in Gumla.
Poornima, who goes by one name, said that girls usually do not play football in her village, but she was encouraged by her family to pursue her passion. “We could not get regular supply of food in Goa due to the pandemic, but we have not faced any such problem since returning to Jharkhand,” she said.
Unicef, who has nominated these players as “Champions of Change”, will impart communication skills to the girls and encourage other adolescent girls of the state to take up sports by sharing the success stories of these Jharkhand players.
