How Game Changers are inspiring a nation

WSC: How did Game Changers come about and what is the idea behind it?

LM: "The Game Changers initiative is a unique coaching programme for rural women in India.

"It is an initiative under Sports For Life, which was established in 2019 and has grown tremendously since, with more than 160,000 girls currently a part of it. As a result, we felt the need for more female sports specialists to lead it and train our girls.

"There is a severe lack of female coaches in India in different sports - especially in rural India - and this led to the birth of the Game Changers initiative.

"After they complete the training in the initiative, these women will complete their D level coaching certification with the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF).

"This will allow them to work as professional coaches, bridging the gender divide that exists in sports coaching in India."

WSC: How have you gone about reaching these people?

LM: "We began with the Jambusar region in rural Gujarat, where we had already established a sports learning programme for girls.

"We wanted those who would be part of the programme to have intimate knowledge of the needs of our girl population.

"We reached out to all neighbouring villages, with the message that we were looking for young women willing to train to become football coaches.

"It would mean being out on the playground, tirelessly doing drills and practices to learn football and also to build their fitness. 

"Even though India has a women’s team, there is a dearth of female coaches..."

 "It would mean spending early mornings, especially on holidays, on the ground coaching the girls. It would also mean traveling to other project locations across the country to conduct coaching camps.

"These were tough terms and conditions for any woman in rural India, but we were pleasantly surprised to find a lot of expressions of interest.

"Finally, after multiple rounds of interviews and counselling, we shortlisted 12 women for the programme.

"Once we were able to get Disha on board as the chief trainer for Game Changers, who would visit Jambusar every month and conduct masterclasses, we knew our resolve to build female coaches in Jambusar was going to bear fruit." 

WSC: What can female coaches taking part in the programme expect?

DMJ: "The Game Changers initiative involves six months of rigorous training, from understanding the fundamentals of the sport to developing a skill set to become certified coaches.

"It involves both theoretical and practical training and lots and lots of practice - the coaches spend two hours every day on the field training our girls.

"Female coaches enrolling in the programme have to be ready to spend a lot of time on the field, playing football and building their fitness and stamina."

WSC: How many coaches have been involved so far and what feedback has been received?

DMJ: "Our first cohort from rural Gujarat consisted of 12 women from within the community itself.

"The transformation these women have undergone is spectacular - not just in terms of their football expertise but also in their personal development.

"They are much more confident now and look forward to having an exciting career in sports coaching."

WSC: What qualifications have they achieved and what have they gone on to do?

DMJ: "Each of the coaches is now coaching about 40 girls weekly.

"They have organised our first ’Naandi Super League’, which includes weekly games for both primary and secondary-aged girls, thus ensuring both practice and game experience.

"As a team, the Game Changers have played in two state-level tournaments. This is the first time their communities have ever been represented in women’s football tournaments."

WSC: What is the state of female soccer coaching in the communities you work in?

LM: "Even though India has a women’s national team, there is a serious dearth of female coaches in India.

"The Indian national team is currently coached by a man, as are most other smaller regional teams. Physical sport in India is still largely considered a male-dominated activity, especially in rural areas. 

"We work with girls from rural India who have rarely seen a sports match..."

 "Girls, once past the age of puberty, are rarely encouraged to play any physical sport - a trend that is slowly starting to change.

"In 2017, the BBC reported that less than 30% of Indian women engaged in sports of any kind. Other statistics show that women only constitute 5% representation on sports association governing bodies while the Sports Authority of India lists only 18% female coaches on the seniority list.

"The opportunities for female coaches are huge because as more girls show an interest in sports there will be a need to have physical mentoring by someone of their gender."

WSC: Why is it so important to have these female leaders and role models?

LM: "We work with underprivileged girls from rural India who have rarely seen a sports match, let alone women’s sports.

"It is therefore critical they have role models from their communities they can emulate. This was also why it was important for us to choose the female coaches from the same community as the girls.

"When women from their community promote sports learning, these girls can relate better and are able to understand their bodies better, develop their personality, and grow up with a healthy mind and body."

WSC: What are the future plans for the programme?

LM: "We christened this project Game Changers as we strongly feel this first set of coaches in training is just the beginning of our long dedicated journey to help change the game for women coaches in India.

"This is the first programme that we intend to replicate in many rural areas of India, creating pockets of rural football coaches throughout the country.

"Our aspirations are not limited to football only. We intend to develop female coaches in other sports, including volleyball, athletics, basketball and so on."