ANI
08 Aug 2025, 15:07 GMT+10
Guwahati (Assam)[India], August 8 (ANI): India's star woman footballer Manisha Kalyan was the cynosure of all eyes at the ASMITA under-13 league for girls here at Nehru Stadium on Friday. Manisha, the only Indian footballer to have played in the UEFA Champions League for women, said ASMITA is a 'rare platform for young girls to realise their football dreams.'
'I am still dreaming of playing in the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, and after we qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup in Australia next year, our belief has been bolstered. You now have a platform like ASMITA, and the more quality matches you play, the better you will get,' the 23-year-old Manisha told the eight teams taking part in the Guwahati leg of ASMITA, aimed at scouting talent at the grassroots level across India.
Manisha was present alongside two emerging talents from Assam - Rekha Kataki and Dosomi Rowtia. Both Rekha and Dosomi are products of the ASMITA league and are making their presence felt in Assam football in a major way. While Dosomi has made it to the national camp, Rekha has captained North East United Football Club in the Indian Women's League Division 2.
'Football is in the genes of North-East people. I grew up watching Bala Devi and now 11 of my colleagues in the senior national team are from this region. This only shows how much talent is present here. Maybe, five years from now, one of these kids will play for Assam and then India. Just work hard and only think about football. The ecosystem is surely developing and with the government's support, we can only do better,' said Punjab-girl Manisha.
ASMITA's sports activities are growing each year. In the North-east alone, football leagues have increased five-fold since the 2022-23 season. In 2024-25, 25 different football leagues were played under the sports ministry's 'Sports for Women' scheme, with 1615 girls taking part.
Sports in North-east India is a focus area for the Union Sports Ministry. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, has already announced that a North-East-specific Games will be added to the Khelo India calendar.
'That will be a great addition. Not only football, this region is contributing to all sports, and to give them more exposure is the right way to go,' said Manisha, who has played professionally in Cyprus and Greece. She is the only Indian woman to have scored a goal against Brazil in an international football tournament in November 2021. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of The UK News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to The UK News.
More InformationNEW YORK CITY, New York: U.S. companies are now spending more money than ever to protect their top bosses. This comes after rising...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks fell Thursday, a day after recording strong gains. It has been a volatile week for U.S. stock markets...
LOS ANGELES, California: ESPN is set to expand its football footprint in a landmark deal with the NFL that will give the Disney-owned...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: OpenAI is exploring a new stock sale that could allow employees to cash out while pushing the company's...
SILVER SPRING, Maryland: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Teva Pharmaceuticals' Ajovy for use in children, marking...
LOS ANGELES, California: Rupert Murdoch's media empire is taking its tabloid formula west, with a new newspaper set to debut in California...
Guwahati (Assam)[India], August 8 (ANI): India's star woman footballer Manisha Kalyan was the cynosure of all eyes at the ASMITA under-13...
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 8 (ANI): Indian Super League (ISL) side Mohammedan Sporting Club eased past the Border Security...
Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], August 8 (ANI): Indian Super League (ISL) sides Jamshedpur FC (JFC) and NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) will...
BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup is still some time away, but for merchants in Yiwu, a city in east China's Zhejiang...
(Photo credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images) Toronto FC completed a previously reported cash-for-player trade for Colorado Rapids midfielder...
(Photo credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images) The San Jose Earthquakes acquired defensive midfielder Ronaldo Vieira from Italy's...
