Q1) Tell us something about yourself?

A1) Hi, my name is Aditi Shetty and I am 16 years old. I have been playing football from the age of 8. So first it was like I was almost a tom boy and I never liked playing with dolls and I always played with cars. Since I have a twin brother I was habituated to being brought up like that. But my brother played football with his friends and he got irritated if I wanted to play or if I played. I am a hyperactive child from the time I was very small. In school we had football and also in my building the sport that got me excited was football. So like that and then my brother’s stupid behaviour (laughs) encouraged me to play football all the more.

Q2) You started playing football since the age of 8, how was your parents look out towards this?

A2) Actually they have supported me for everything no matter what. There are some parents who don’t understand their kids to that extent and restrict them to certain things. But my parents have never acted like that with me and have let me do whatever I want. Even though I was a tom boy, they never hit me but were always supportive saying, “It’s your life. Do whatever you want.” But when I went out of the way that’s when they came in and guided me. Stopped me from going off-track.

Q3) Which is your preferred position in the team? You mentioned being an aggressive player. What all positions have you played in for the team?

A3) I am a very versatile player. Because when I started playing football I played in the Forward’s position then I moved back to midfield and I stuck there because I have a lot of energy when I play. Tireless running is something which I bring to my team. When you are a midfielder on the flanks, you have to do a lot of running like linking up with the forward line going forward and then having to track back to help out the defence when the opposition is attacking. When you are counter attacking you need a lot of energy to run the entire field so I have always preferred midfield and that depends if its centre, right or left anywhere I can play. So right midfield is very I have played most of the games and the centre mid position is somewhere I can play as well because I have the ability to control the game feeding the ball to the forwards. In the Indian camp, they played me as a defender. Also played a few matches as goalkeeper when needed.

Q4) Your first achievement since you started playing football came at the age of 11 i.e 3 years after you got the zeal to play. It was at the District level. Describe that moment?

A4)It was very exciting and I was nervous at the same time. Whenever I get onto the field I have that nervousness. But with time I overcome it. But this was the time I was very excited because we played U12 and U14 and when you play with players elder to you then you get to learn a lot and the feeling is good. So there is an overall progress.

Q5) Talk us through that moment when you were selected for the Under 14 camp in the Indian team at Kerala?

A5)I was very sad because I didn’t get in. Because when you know you deserve something but you don’t get it, it’s heart-breaking. But I motivated myself and the people around me gave me lots of positive energy and told me not to give up, I had made it among the top 23 players who were selected. That is when I realised that what I had achieved was quite a big thing and others haven’t even reached till there. Some people don’t even get to for camps even though they are good.

Q6) Describe your span you spent in school how were the facilities at the level? How were the coaches impact to your progress at the mere age of 11?

A6)First of all we don’t have a proper ground. We have a concrete ground and that’s the worst thing because we need to get the feel of the studs on grass. And what we have in school is concrete ground with turf so that’s exactly opposite. Because in grass your leg goes down while in concrete it remains still. Even the way the ball bounces on concrete or grass or mud is so very different. But we were quick to adapt to these conditions and we kept winning. So our coaches recognized that and then the type of ground did not matter.We started coming regularly for practices from Monday to Friday and then we had to rush to school. So all the attention was very good better than what many people get. So I was very satisfied by that.

Q7)All throughout your journey who has been your role model both in your personal as well as professional life?

A7)It has never been stuck to one person. It keeps changing and that person is always there in my mind. I think of my mom, she has done a lot for me from the time I have started playing football until now she has spent a lot of whatever I required. Some parents tell their kids to give up on playing. In 10^th std, I had my India camp and I was away from home for 3 months. Still my mom supported me and I coped up managing to get 88.4%. After every India camp I have cried as to how I will cope up. But my mom and my dad have always been positive, supportive and helped me over the line. Second is my coach Sir Luke Rosario, he has always supported us in our professional career. We get a lot of offers from clubs he tell us what to do and what not to do. When you change clubs your impression  amongst the people changes. So he has guided us well teaching us how to communicate with people who get those offers for us and how not to become complacent. Luke sir has always told us to be a down to earth person. Then there is Dominic Sir who has been there with since I was in 7^th He was with me from the time I went to India camp. When I started going to Maharashtra camp that is when I got the best coach of my life. Durva mam has been the best coach I ever had, she has never shouted on us. And all of my previous coaches are very attached to me. Sometimes you get attached to your coaches, she’s almost getting there. She is my idol because she taken up football as a living. She’s a coach and that’s how she has earned her living because in India it becomes tough to earn a living through football. So in my professional career, I look up to her because when I think of myself whether pursuing football will help me earn a living I think of her. And to be honest she has been a major presence in my life, in my professional life to be honest.

Q8) How has criticism from the people impacted you footballing journey all throughout these 8 years?

A8)People know what levels I have reached and those people don’t have the guts to say something to my face. They have never told anything to my mom as well. Because when my mom looks back she can proudly say that my daughter managed to excel both in her studies and her professional football career and has balanced it quite well. Also my mom told me not to think about what others say because you are not doing it for someone else nor are those people doing something for you. You have to live your own life

Q9) Aditi, you have won three consecutive MSSA titles in your school career? Tell us more about those three glorious years?

A9)Nothing in life is easy but when you work hard and when you believe in yourself it becomes all the more possible. So in the 1^st year we had better training sessions, better coaches and we felt like working hard and then we won our first title  But the next 2 years we won one was U14 and the other U16 , our team was the most dominant. I am not even boasting but every team used to be scared of us. There was Dhirubai Ambani side, we always had to meet them in the finals so both our teams were so fierce while playing and it was a neck to neck competition. We knew that we had won the title before and that our opponents also had a clue of it so winning it for the first time was an advantage for us. The three consecutive titles have been an amazing achievement for the entire team,

Q10) Coming very close to getting into the Indian team i.e Under-14 camp in 2011 and U-16 camp in 2013 only to be in the reserves. Tell us how you stop yourself from demotivated at this point of time?

A10)So during the U14 camp if they had taken 23 players, I would be in but then they took only 18 so I was on standby. And the recent camp they took 23 but I was in the top 27 so again standby. So I missed by some margins. Both the camps I have gone to, I have learnt a lot. In fact the closer I was in U14 the more closer I came in U16. I can guarantee that if they selected 23 players, I would have been number 24. So all I told myself is not look at anyone on the field. Don’t see who the coach is putting in instead of you. All those negative points are harmful for the overall progress. So you have to be positive all the time. I used to tell myself not to be nervous and give my 100%. But then the change I have seen in those years has been spectacular. And I have never let myself to get demotivated.

Q11) We had an interview with coach Durva Vahia mam. She has set the standard for the Women’s game and is an inspiration to many young girls and women pursuing football. Describe her impact on your football career?

A11)  We had our last match against Jharkhand and we played total 5 matches and I didnt play any of those five matches in the starting 11 and I totally respect her for that. Sometimes you feel you deserve it more but then the coach knows whom to put in and whom not to put it. So i was thinking this is the last match and she still has not started me what has gone wrong?.And after the team went in to play she told me that i am a smart player and I want you to go in and change the game when needed. So thats when you know what the person thinks about you. She lifted me up and i had that confidence again. See I told you i get nrevous during the start of the game and if you dont go in you get more nervous and then that gets you standard of playing more down unknowingly. She always told us that we were quick to adapt to all the things she taught. And that one moment where she called me a smart player is one of the best moments with her. She has always motivated us no matter what the circumstances are. Durva mam is a motivation not only to me but also for all the team members because everyone has expressed their gratitude for her encouragement in reaching that level in their career/ Everyone is really happy we got a coach like her and she is the perfect person for any player o have by their sides

Q12) Do you see Women’s football coming up in India? But first in Mumbai as well?

A12)Yes, it is coming up. When you play for clubs, you also have private tournaments as well. In school we have three tournaments. MSSA and DSO are the major two. If we win and get to that level we play for city level then district level. If we reach the top at district level we get into the state team. If you get to the state team our coach told us they could push 5-6 players for selections. The goood thing is you know you have worked hard, practised daily, dreamt of it and they finally achieved it. So the more the number of tournaments, the more competition there will be and that’s how Women’s football will come up more.

Q13) Describe your training sessions? How do you maintain your fitness? And also tell us how do you balance your studies as well as football practise?

A13) In early 10th standard days I practised daily. After that I used to study at night. The breaks I took were breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am a couch potato and I have to watch TV (laughs). When I had my 10^th boards I did not go to practise and this was my daily schedule. Almost 4-5 months I could not go because I knew I had missed those months because of India camp and had to cope up. So I sat at home and managed all of this. In 11^th std I have practised every day. It’s a bit chilled out and you can pass studying one day before the exam as well. So now I practise every morning for an hour, comeback and eat. Then go to college, after coming back home I go down for a walk to get some fresh air. So that’s how my entire day goes. On weekends I go to these private club training. Dominic sir conducts them. So 1 week to Dominic Sir’s practise sessions and 1 week in IFS. If you realise I have practised everyday. Since we have our sports starting, Sir has told us to get some rest because you cannot continuously practise, your body needs rest to get rejuvenated again.

Q14 ) Do you follow international Women’s football regularly?

A14) No, to be honest I don’t follow them regularly. Because most of the times you are not aware of the women’s fixtures. But I watch the Barclays Premier League games. And the finals I came to know after the match was over when USA won against Japan. So all that I try to know from the apps that we have these days on our phones. That’s it.

Q15) Where do you see yourself in the next 2-3 years?

A15) I think I have to train everyday to see myself at a better position. This year in May we have our India camp and if I keep working hard I will get to that level. In 2 or 3 years I will be a much better player and play for the Indian side.

Q16) How has the responsibility of a captain impacted your game that too at a very young age?

A16) I have been a captain in my school team. So let me tell you when you are a normal player and you are not a captain you are very friendly to your team mates. But when you are a captain you cannot fool around. How I talk to my very good friend Caren when I am off the field, we keep doing foolish things. But when I am a captain I will talk to her the same way I’l talk to everyone. First thing is that you treat everyone equally and you when you look at their flaws, one cannot tell them not to do this or that. Because you are the leader, you cannot poke your team mates constantly with their mistakes. And sometimes even I made mistakes, but then I realised them and apologised instantly because the other players are looking up to me. For example if I am the captain, I make some mistake ten times the other will mock me saying, “You’re the captain, your making these mistakes so why are you telling us.” You have to raise your awareness of playing well even when you are not a captain you have to play with 100% so that others around you are looking up to you be it the younger players or the elders. So being a captain has made me realise I cannot fool around and must take the responsibility to lead from the front.

Q17) If Aditi Shetty is not a footballer, then which sport would she pursue?

A17)I think probably Badminton. Because badminton is something I love to play. We never got the chance to play Badminton at school level. So if I had that opportunity at school level, I would definitely pursue Badminton if not Football.

Q18) What is your message for the little girls (little Aditi Shetty’s) wanting to pursue football?

A18) First of all I would like to tell their parents, like Durva mam as mentioned in her interview that parents always send their kids for Sports just as a hobby and when they reach 9^th or 10^th they stop it because they have to manage their studies. They stop sending them to camps. Many people don’t send their kids to selections. So for the parents all I want to say is allow you children to grow because of Sports as much as he/she can. When I get support from my parents I get motivated to play. So parents need to motivate their children to play so that it helps them reach the desired levels. For the little girls I want to say that they have to work hard. Football is very important and it has made me punctual compared to my other friends. Also it has made me disciplined like I don’t throw my clothes anywhere. So work hard, pursue atleast one sport because it makes you punctual, you learn the value of time and the discipline factor is incorporated. That’s how it helps.

Q19) What would you like to tell the readers, reading this interview on the ‘Dare to Dream’ series?

A19) I am very happy that Durva mam has given my name. I was feeling very inspired when I was reading her interview. So now when someone reads my interview even they might feel inspired. So this series is lifting me up. I am very happy that you people have taken this initiative. Not many sites do this. Any site you see has boys thing coming up. You literally have to type Maharashtra girls then something comes up. The media helps a lot to spread awareness and now even the parents will know that this thing is happening for girls. This is helping us a lot and I would like to thank you all a lot.

Everyone at Football Counter salutes the efforts put in by Aditi Shetty to pursue what she loves. Very few follow their heart. We wish you all the best for all your ventures in future and hope this time you surely get into the Indian team

The post Dare to Dream series- Episode 1 : Interviewing Aditi Shetty appeared first on Football Counter.

Occasionally, we have to change our shape in order to fit-in. What change and which shape will be fulfilling is always a difficult question to obtain an answer for. The development of Indian football, largely has remained paradoxical and stagnant. So, how can a sport rise above its own expectations, which is at an infant stage of its development?

I started my conversation with Durva Vahia in a Starbucks outlet at Fort. “The Siren”, who is the mermaid on the logo of Starbucks; she is a storyteller, a muse – inspiring us and demanding us to move forward, a depiction of what you are looking for. Durva Vahia is a muse, a storyteller who narrates her tales as she impresses and inspires the ones around her.

At 24, she is a professional goalkeeper and coach. Durva Vahia has represented the Maharashtra state team from the under-17 and under-19 level, where she captained the team(s) during a number of district and national-level competitions up to the senior team. Also, the 24-year-old has been a regular figure in-goal for the Western India Football Association (WIFA) and Mumbai District Football Association (MDFA) as a leader. Having attended the Indian Senior Women’s Team training camp three times (in 2013, 2014 and 2015), Durva Vahia has also played as a goalkeeper in the 2011 season for the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Women’s Soccer Team in the 2^nd Division of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). A holder of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ‘B’ License and All India Football Federation (AIFF) Level 1 goalkeeping coaching certificate course and ‘D’ License coaching certificate course, where she was ranked 1^st amongst 33 participants.

Having completed her Grassroots Leader Course, conducted by the AIFF and Women’s Refresher Course by FIFA, she is now part of the Mumbai City Football Club team as a Grassroots Development Officer and coaches at the Indian Football School (IFS). In 2013, being a trainee of the Manchester United Soccer School (MUSS), Durva was awarded the overall Star Player award for module 4 and 5. Also, she was an intern Head Coach of the Corporate Social Responsibility Project for Women’s development during her time in the school. The internship at the Manchester United Soccer School gave her “the opportunity to work with the best professionals in the field of football. It will support my understanding of the professional approach M.U.S.S brings to grassroots development in India. With the support of this wonderful experience I want to make a positive difference in the Indian Football Culture,” she was recorded saying back in 2013.

Coaching is very crucial. My game has largely developed because, I started coaching. It gives you a sense of maturity on the field – Durva Vahia

As she recollected her experiences from M.U.S.S, Durva Vahia explained, how the coaches at the school helped her understand the need to posses the knowledge of the coaching aspect of the game. “Coaching is very crucial. My game has largely developed because, I started coaching. It gives you a sense of maturity on the field,” says Durva, quoting the Latin saying “docendo discimus” (“by teaching, we learn“).

“As you start teaching, you start to understand the game a lot more. You make better decisions, you position yourself better and you know what your coach requires from you,” insisted Durva, who believes learning how to coach is an essential initial step in developing your mind for football. Sharing her relationship as a Head Coach with the Maharashtra Women’s Under-18 team, “I get attached to the players as you become responsible and accountable (for them). You are their role model outside their family.” On the recent Senior Women’s Zonal Tournament for Maharashtra in 2015, where Durva was a player and a number of her teammates were girls whom she has coached. “You are under scrutiny upon how you perform and your behavior is kept in check,” she stated.

From her playing days at St. Anne’s High School and Jai Hind College to representing Maharashtra on the national stage and attending training camps with the Indian Senior Women’s team she recollects, “The turning point of my career was, when I went to the United States, where I was playing for the senior team (NYIT Women’s Soccer Team). I always wanted to play for India, and I knew that it was the right step in my development. Even for a second-division college team, the setup and atmosphere was perfect with the level of professionalism on site. From proper training centers, physiotherapy and post-game video sessions to sessions which focused on tactics, positioning and movements, there was an appropriate training routine, and the infrastructure as well as the logistics were up to date.

She explained, how “the grassroot is strikingly better in the United States. I did not know a lot of basics, which had been taught to my teammates, there from the age of 7 or 8. Though, my teammates were really helpful in helping me understand the footballing culture and helped me out during post-training sessions, too.”

Each day is a struggle, struggling to become better, reaching the top-level and maintaining it at the top for as-long-as possible – Durva Vahia

When asked about, how different it is in India, the goalkeeper and coach Durva Vahia tells, “The conditions and circumstances in India are unacceptable for the development of girls and the boys, too. Most of the boys belong to a similar level of footballing brain, experience and talent, and with a necessary amount of professional guidance these football players will be up by a level or two. In my case, I am not only a player, but a coach, too. I’ve to engage myself into coaching in order to sustain myself. At the age of 24, I cannot sit at home and wait. I don’t get paid to train every day; hence, I decided to take-up a job in coaching, and sustain myself to a level.

“Each day is a struggle, struggling to become better, reaching the top-level and maintaining it at the top for as-long-as possible. The level of football in Maharashtra is good, but the intensity-level in the competitions is lacking. When I faced other state teams in India, I realized we (Maharashtra) weren’t at that level. Manipur, Assam and other North and North-Eastern states are better compared to us and are best suited for the development of women football in India. Such states have football leagues (for girls) which run throughout the year. But, states who launch leagues, occasionally could not match-up to intensity-level required to progress step-by-step and on a large-scale.”

“I find it a lot better to train with the men’s or the boys’ team as they train regularly and at a uniform level of intensity in games. With the lack of games played and training done throughout the year it becomes difficult to maintain a level of professionalism. Though,” she adds, “there are national and state-level training camps and district-level and state-level competitions, which acts a gateway. I don’t know of India, but Maharashtra and WIFA have taken certain steps at the grassroot-level to train the under-15 and under-18 women’s team twice a month on weekends for 2 hours, which is a positive step forward.” WIFA is set to start an inter-district women’s league, and if other states in India initiate for such tournaments, the selectors will have better quality to choose from.

So, where exactly does the problem lie for women football in India? Durva Vahia says, “The mentality of the parents and schools. Most do it just to check a box. Parents send their kids to play football as a hobby or an extra-curricular activity and pull their kids out when they reach 8^th or 9^th grade. Women’s football lack structure and a guiding faculty. Parents and institutes lack the knowledge to develop their daughter(s) into a professional. Girls who stay longer put a priority to education and career over the sports they enjoy playing. For boys, there is the Indian Super League and i-League, girls?”

At the moment, “there is no visible pathway”, according to Durva Vahia. “Until I go to the parents and convince them to make their daughter join football on the basis of what I’ve done and how, there isn’t a way I can educate them.” Durva denotes, “In India, ask anyone of Baichung Bhutia or Sunil Chhetri, and they’d know of them even if they have no clue about Indian football.”

Durva’s journey herself has been no short of an adventure safari. She prioritized sports over career, but never compromised on education. “My entire family has been always supportive. But, initially, I had to prove myself. My family too thought football for me was a hobby. But, when I decided to go to the United States for it, the mentality changed. Academically, I was always sound and my parents agreed if I can maintain my grades up to 70% ‘you can continue’ to play. My parents gave me the time to think and act upon my decisions, because I took their advice of not neglecting studies entirely, and which always gave me a chance to turn it around,” she explains with content.

On a personal scale, though, Durva thinks she has a long way to go in the sport as a player and later coach, at the moment, “wearing the national team jersey is the only dream that keeps me going.” On the dark side, she tells, “There are days, when you sit and wonder: ‘why do I want to put myself into it, and as you’re about to give-up, you deliberately wonder (again) about your dream to play for the national team!”

Challenges and struggles have been a part of Durva Vahia’s daily routine. Starting her day at 6 in the morning, Durva finishes her first-session of training in the morning from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. after which she moves-out to work. In the evening, she heads to the gym and returns to the field for her final training session of the day before going to bed at 10:00 in the night. “It is difficult to find people to train with, when I am practicing; but being a goalkeeper it helps me with the number of co-mates I need to train with. Being a coach myself helps me on various levels, here; with my training and personal development. After every game and practice session I review my work and act upon my mistakes in the upcoming session(s).”

She expresses her optimism with regards to development in the sport for women praising the efforts from AIFF and WIFA, who have been working consistently well on the quantitative front, at least to provide more game-time to the girls from an early-age. She tells, her seniors during the national camp explain, how the upcoming generation of players are trained under better coaches and circumstances.

Durva’s interest in coaching wasn’t natural, though, and neither was her initial playing position in the sport. The goalkeeper insisted that she never intended on playing between the sticks, but consistent efforts from her school coach and her trainer got her convinced. Later on, during her time in with the New York Institute of Technology Women’s Senior Team, the coaches at the university helped her mature as a player and an internship at the Manchester United Soccer School fruitfully benefited her in increasing her knowledge about the game and her position on the field.

“As a goalkeeper, when you concede a goal, you go through a lot of emotions from the inside, but it helps you tackle your defeats and you provide meaningful efforts to overcome troubles and the mistakes you have made in the match,” says Durva.

She spends a large part of her time working and training, but Durva Vahia finds time to read during travels. When asked, what she has been reading recently? She replied, “I read non-fiction, but I tend to read fiction, occasionally, too. I completed the Power of Meow and prior to it I read The Power of Habit. She explains herself as “driven, hard-working, persevering and happy” after much thought, but, a person who invests most of her time for others it was rational of her to think and take time out for herself, this time.

As our conversation came to a closure, Durva Vahia – a muse, whose story allows us to dream and be ambitious of what we can be – or could have been. Throughout my chat with Durva, there was a lovely variety of how individualism in various dimensions of every aspect in a mortal being’s life emerges and succeeds, in a way – a muse, who is meant to be different to everyone who sees her – urges to her observers to realize and act.

The post In discussion with Durva Vahia on her time in the game and how she ended up being a footballer appeared first on Football Counter.