Girl’s football match in Kolkata becomes reminder of struggles for women claiming space in sports

A girls' football match in Kolkata highlights ongoing struggles for women's visibility and access in sports amid societal challenges.

A friendly girls’ football match between Meye-Cheleder Khela and Rasa United Club organised on International Women’s Day in Kolkata, became a reminder of the continuous hurdles girls and women have to face to claim space in sports, especially sports which are male-dominated. 

The match organised by Bondhu Collective, an NGO, working with children from Kolkata’s Kalighat red-light area and nearby underprivileged households scheduled the match for March 8 at south Kolkata’s Deshapriya Park playground. But when they arrived, the ground was already being used for a boy’s cricket match. 

But this has been a familiar struggle for the girls who have aspired to make a space for themselves in this game but have always battled to get a ground to practice. 

“In the beginning, it seemed like there was no place for girls who aspired to play football. But we managed to continue practicing and playing at Deshapriya Park by going early, as boys do not spare the ground once they arrive,” Chandana Mondal, one of the football players of Bondhu Collective said. She also added that over the years their practice has constantly shifted from one ground to the other, and they have learnt to normalise it. 

On the day of the match with Rasa United, the girls got dejected when they arrived at the venue and saw, but their coach and the Bondhu Collective founder secretary Smritiparna Sengupta found an alternative ground and continued the match after the hurdle.