Meet Panthoi Chanu, 1st Indian To Play In Australian Football League

Elangbam Panthoi Chanu from Manipur scripted history as the first Indian to play for the Australian Football League. Making significant strides in the sports landscape, Chanu signed with the Metro United WFC for the South Australian Women’s National Premier League, which kickstarted on March 28. She will also train at the A-League club Adelaide United FC, said Paul Morris, head coach of Metro United WFC in a conversation with the Press Trust of India. The 28-year-old goalkeeper of the Indian Women's National Team currently plays for Eastern Sporting Union based in Imphal and will represent Metro United until the conclusion of the season in September 2024.

Chanu holds numerous titles of success including Emerging Players of the Year 2017, Best Goal Keeper of two consecutive years at India Women‘s Leagues 2016-17 and 2018-19 and Manipur Footballer of the Year 2018. 

First Indian To Play For Australian League

Elangbam Panthoi Chanu was born on February 1, 1996, in Keirak, a small village in the Thoubal region of Manipur. She made a breakthrough in football with the Women's Football Academy Kakching before moving to the Eastern Sporting Union (ESU) in 2012. She represented ESU and Manipur Police in the Indian Women's League and the regional Manipur Women's League.

At 19 years old, Chanu was picked to be part of the squad for Round 1 of the Qualifiers for the Rio Olympics. Although the Indian team lost to Myanmar, it marked the start of Chanu's long journey at the upper echelons of Indian Football. After this, she grabbed numerous accolades for her exceptional goalkeeping skills.

Speaking about the peak of her career, she told the All India Football Federation."That is perhaps the most memorable time of my career. I remember I saved two penalties in the tournament and it was very satisfying to not just win, but also get recognition for doing so." The COVD-19 lockdowns and a shin injury in 2021 were some of the most challenging parts of Chanu's career/

However, she persevered and pushed herself to achieve bigger. In 2022, Chanu's international career flourished with her trial to Spain for the teams in Liga F, with India team striker Bala Devi. Just being there, training with players in Spain, taught me a lot of lessons," she told AIFF. "It was a very valuable experience. I came back with a lot more between my ears."

Now, she has become the first footballer from India to play professionally in Australia. On March 26, she signed a contract with the second-tier National Premier Leagues Women's club Metro United WFC in the South Australian league and is set to play 18 matches. She will also train at the A-League club Adelaide United FC, said Paul Morris, head coach of Metro United WFC.