GEORGE TOWN – It all started when two women approached Penang Indian Football Association (PIFA) president and coach S. Sri Sangar, requesting to play football.
He was perplexed and told them to just book a futsal court. The women immediately told him that it is impossible to play futsal with just two people.
He then encouraged them to put an invitation for a match on Facebook, which they proceeded to do.
Two days before the arranged match, both women came to meet him again with a new issue: too many people signed up.
“I looked at them and, at first, I thought, ’too many’ meant five or, at the most, 10 women who have signed up. But, to my shock, it was 80 women who signed up!” he told The Vibes.
“I didn’t know what to do. I contacted Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) councillor David Marshall to request for help. He then allocated RM3,000 for us to run a tournament where we could book the court, provide food and prizes for the participants.
“That was back in mid-2019.”
Sri thought that his job with women’s football was done and dusted after that tournament, but the women met him again after Deepavali – more empowered than ever – after watching the latest Tamil film release Bigil depicting an all-women’s football team.
“That was when we started football training at Padang Sony Seberang Jaya over the weekends.
“By December 2019, there were 145 players on the training field – it was a big crowd. That was when I decided to have an Indian women’s league.
“If there was no league, the women wouldn’t have a chance to play, they would only train.
“So, the league went on for two months, and we played every week with six teams. More women joined, and we had a trophy launching that went viral,” he said.
The excitement caught on, and Sri began receiving calls asking him why there were no Indian women’s leagues in other states.
He told them that he couldn’t handle teams from other states when he was in Penang with a large team, but that sparked his eureka moment.
“I called a few friends in other states, asking them if they were interested in having a women’s football team and, after a while, we managed to get seven teams. They are from Johor, Perak, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Pahang, Negri Sembilan and, of course, Penang.
“There are currently 112 players in Penang and, including the rest, there are a total of 312 players – all in two years since it started,” he said.
Sri is currently sorting out the logistics for an all-women’s league on the national level, expected to run for four to five months beginning from November. It is currently awaiting approval from the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“The youngest player now is 16, and the oldest is 56. There are mother-and-daughter teams who come in to train together.
“There will also be an internal tournament so we can choose the best players to represent the state at the national level. We want the players to improve themselves, put in the discipline and commitment before we select them,” he said, adding that PIFA conducts training every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Sri said that more women these days are beginning to take an interest in football.
“They wear their jerseys and identify their favourite clubs, but they do not have the platform to play or showcase their talents.
“Surprisingly, in the two years that this training has been going on, there have been no issues with their families, such as their husbands.
“If it were to be other sports, like swimming or netball, they might face a problem because the men in the family are not interested in the sport. But they like football, and they know how the sport goes, therefore, they are okay when the women participate in it.
“However, I will always tell them that they should settle what they need to settle at home first before they come for their training as they have to prioritise their family.
“It is challenging for them, but they still do it,” Sri said, adding that he is happy to be able to create a platform that allows them to play.
Not only does Sri plan to organise a national league, he also aims to set up a football academy for girls while running a league alongside teams of other races once the pandemic is over.
“I have encouraged seven of our Indian women players to be official referees, and they have studied, taken their exams and are now official referees endorsed by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM). I’ll be pushing them to participate as referees at the national level.
“For the senior women in the team, I have encouraged them to take up coaching licences.
“At present, they are waiting for their certificates.
“After that, I’ll start an academy so these women will be the ones coaching the next generation of young girls in football, hopefully, in December this year or January,” he added.
His all-women’s football team recently caught the attention of netizens after photos of them draped in colourful sarees – with football boots underneath their pleats – and matching bangles were uploaded on social media recently. – The Vibes, July 8, 2021
