VIJAYA K

Medical Lab Scientist

27 years old. As of now I work in the Microbiology department as a Medical lab scientist. I am an average person. Nothing magical about me. But I very strongly believe in hard work and being able to help others in every way possible.

From what age are you playing Football?


Been playing since 2010 (I was 19 then)

What made you choose Football?

I always wanted to be in a team game, but in school, I was always chosen to be in track events. Hence, when I started college, there was only one team game that was worth it: Football!

What is your biggest personal achievement so far?


I am happy and content. Thanks to football I made some great memories and best friends for life. What more do you need?

Any funny or interesting story from the field that you can remember?

There are so many of them. But the most memorable was, on one of the practice days it started raining so heavy that most of us had to get off the ground. When we got to the shade we didn't notice the film of water on the cemented floor. One by one most of us slipped (thanks to our studs) and fell so hard. Crying out in pain and laughing at each other. As the rain subsided we all got back to practice. And later on it started to drizzle again, but we were so into the game we just stayed and got drenched.

What is it like for a girl to play football in India?

With the right motivation, I would like to imagine it would be no different for a girl to be playing football. The root of the cause in India most of the time is the perception of girls not being able to perform just like the boys. Honestly, it depends on the players and not the gender. That being said, whenever I played matches, what I noticed was people being too judgemental about how the 'girls' were playing and totally forgot to notice the team.

Do you feel any kind of gender disparity in the game?

As mentioned in the previous question. I definitely felt a lot of disparity from both genders towards women's football team. But I will have to say some good players (boys and girls) did take small steps towards making a difference by helping in team practice.

What are some of the difficulties you’ve faced in your journey in terms of unavailability of gear etc.


Gear was mostly limited. I would say the studs were a bit expensive making it harder for some people to join the team. And there was never enough footballs (soccer balls) for the girl's team.

What would you like to tell other girls to encourage them to play the sport?

Don't let anyone put you down. This sport tests your strength, agility and brains. If you find someone who motivates you and supports you can reach great heights. And like my first coach used to say. Kick the ball don't kiss it. So get out there and kick ass!

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