Hoping for an ISL-style football league for women's football in India, states Bala Devi

Bala Devi became the first Indian footballer to sign a contract with a European top-flight club after she was roped in by Scottish Premier League side Rangers FC earlier this year. Apart from this, she is also one of the most experienced players to have ever played for the Indian national team, with more than 40 matches in the blue jersey. During a recent interview, she explained the need for ISL-style league for the Indian women for them to finally play at a professional level.

“We need to have a good league and a legacy after these two landmark events. Girls need to play full time in schools, colleges, academies and finally in fully professional or semi-professional teams. I am hoping for an ISL-type scenario for women’s football in future,” said Bala Devi, as reported by Scroll.in.

India is set to host two big events in the near future - the 2021 FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup and the 2022 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which is a major boost for women’s football in the country. Bala Devi admitted that the next few years will be very exciting for them, with her expecting quite a few players from the junior team to break into the senior team.

“I think if a few youngsters do well in the U-17 World Cup, they might be called up for the senior team camps as well, so this would be a good transition. These two years will be very exciting for Indian football, but I think the follow-up is even more important,” added the Rangers FC star.