Deepika Masurkar Explains Why We Need More Female Coaches In Football

Deepika Masurkar started playing football at 18. Before that, she was actively into cricket. A friend who was a football player invited her to tag along for a practice session. "That session has never really ended because I haven’t stopped playing," says the 32-year-old who plays for Maharashtra State Team, PIFA, Baroda FC and other clubs. Once she finished training she went up the usual ladder of the district, state and national level tournaments. Since these tournaments happened only once a year, she started playing for clubs in between.

In a chat with SheThePeople, Masurkar opines on why football hasn’t drawn too many women in India, gender bias in the sport and how having more female coaches can positively impact women's football in India.

Why do you think Football hasn’t drawn too many women in India?

When I started 14 years ago, there were very few facilities for women, very few coaches and very few tournaments. We basically trained with the boys, which was not a bad thing at all. But compared to the men, women could not look at football as a profession that brought in steady income. We were offered no long-term contracts and the income was small and erratic.

Most of us studied and got qualified to work in other fields and played only for the love of the game. I am a Hotel Management graduate and ran my own patisserie for many years. I have seen many talented colleagues drop out because it’s just not financially viable for women to keep playing football in India. I’ve been lucky to have the support of my mother, even though she’s a single parent and it’s not been easy.

Deepika Masurkar

What would you say is one thing that can impact the future of Indian Women’s Football?

More female coaches. The more coaches we have, the more girls will be allowed to join the game by their parents, especially at the grassroots, where there is a lot of untapped potential. Also, a proper footballing calendar for women’s football and better structure will bring in more sponsors, which can only help.

So gender bias is pretty pronounced in Indian Women’s Football?

Without a doubt. Compared to the Men’s National League, ours is very short with not enough matches and tournaments. The budgets allocated are paltry, organisation and facilities are poor. The Men’s League has clear player pathways for every age group, while for women it’s an open category- school, district, national. The Board is just not investing in Women’s Football the way it should be. We have a lot of catching up to do. In the clubs, it’s a little better. In PIFA specifically, women players are treated equally, which is really heartening.

What do you do when you’re not playing football?

I love dirt-bike racing. I am into body building and strength training, not competitively, but I but pretty seriously. I also enjoy rock-climbing and other outdoor adventure sports.

How do you feel about IWFA Girls Goals Cup?

Feels fantastic to know that we are not just playing a game in this tournament , we are also playing a part in inspiring girls across India to keep reaching for their goals. We’re more than players, we’re role models in the Girls Goals Tournament. Makes me proud.

Priya Mirchandani is a core member of the Indian Women’s Football Alliance. SheThePeople is a partner of IWFA.