West Ham Ladies’ new goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan is the first Indian female footballer to play in EPL

Image courtesy: twitter.com/westhamladies
Saket Parekar Saket Parekar folomojo staff

Until last week, had someone told you that Delhi’s Aditi Chauhan is Indian national football team’s first choice goalkeeper, you probably would have asked, ‘Aditi who?’

Today, however, this 22-year-old Delhi girl is the talk of the town. She has achieved what no other female footballer from India has managed to achieve. On Sunday, Aditi became the first female footballer from the country to play for the first team of an English Premier League club.

Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan
Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan

Added to the West Ham Ladies squad late in pre-season, Aditi made her full debut against Coventry in the FA Women’s Premier League Southern Division, a 3rd tier competition,  on Sunday.

Although the Hammers conceded 5 goals in that game, both the player and the club were showered with congratulatory messages on social media.

Aditi’s addition to the squad seems set to work wonders for West Ham, who have suddenly caught the attention of thousands of football fans from India with their new signing.

What makes Aditi’s achievement historic and unprecedented is that while many Indian-origin players like Michael Chopra have made a mark in European competitions, none from the national squad have even come close to making it to the first team. Players like Baichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri, who are the face of football in India, have found it hard to make a big impact in competitions abroad.

Aditi was part of Indian team that won the 2012 SAFF Women's Championship in Sri Lanka | Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan
Aditi was part of Indian team that won the 2012 SAFF Women’s Championship in Sri Lanka | Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan

However, Aditi isn’t the first Delhi girl to hit the headlines in England. Tanvie Hans, a Delhi-born midfielder, did make it to the Tottenham Hotspurs reserves team last year. But she had already secured British citizenship and was hence ineligible to play for the Indian national team.

Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan
Image courtesy: twitter.com/aditi03chauhan

While this undoubtedly marks a proud moment for the nation, it should also serve as a time for reflection for sports authorities and football enthusiasts in India to ask some relevant questions.

Why do we have to look at an English club to take notice of our own talent? Why are there no sponsors and spectators for women’s football in India? Why do these professionals have to search for options overseas despite being ranked 55th in the world?

While we should take nothing away from Aditi’s magnificent achievement, let’s also hope that we find answers to these questions some time soon.

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