It was always a game of odds for Fousiya who kept dribbling a passion for football.

It was always a game of odds for Fousiya who kept dribbling a passion for football.

It was always a game of odds for Fousiya who kept dribbling a passion for football.

Kozhikode: The soccer field was never a patch of green for Fousiya M, football coach at Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Nadakkavu. It was always a game of odds for this woman who kept dribbling a passion for football.

Football, or any other game for that matter, was only blackballed by the conservative set up that she grew up in. Fousiya said: “I was not alone and there were front runners like Lalitha, who played in World Women's Football in 1981. Other contemporaries included Iona, Achamma, and Tresa. Women played football out of passion and not out of force or compulsion. We were after the game, not grace marks. With the World Cup frenzy, people here are celebrating other teams, forgetting that we had champions in our state, even in women football.”

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Her father, Kunju Moidu, was the one who instilled in her the spirit of sports. An employee in Sharjah, he found time to take her to local competitions during his occasional visits to native Vellimadukunnu. “I studied at the school where I am coaching students now. We had coaching in volleyball, hockey, and cricket under Nani teacher. The Nadakkavu school was known as training school those days," she said.

“Safiya and Khamarunneesa were my contemporaries. Nisa (Khamarunneesa) dropped coaching midway and got confined to family but Safiya went on to become a physical education teacher. She works in Malappuram now. We never had anyone to guide us, even in choosing a career. As little children, our motive was to play and just play as many matches as we could,” Fousiya said.

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An under-weight student, she was a substitute in the power- and weight-lifting teams of the school, where her participation could add a few extra points to the school team. “I was selected to the handball team as goalkeeper and participated in the 1986 Shimla tournament as part of the Kerala team. That was a turning point. I got attracted to football and playing it was not easy for someone from my background. After school hours, we rushed to Mananchira for practice. Other teams would also be there. I still remember going to take part in the junior state championship in Thiruvananthapuram after selling Safiya's gold anklet," she said.

“Support from father was immense. He would have cut short other expenses to send me training kits. Safiya and I were banned from the district team for taking part in the Thiruvananthapuram championship without the consent of the authorities here. We were not ready to give up. Another friend of ours, Ventila, invited us to train in Maharaja's College in Ernakulam. In the inter-district championship held in Kozhikode, we tried to participate under the Ernakulam banner and the officials stopped us. That was the only match to which my father accompanied me. But unfortunately, I could not play. He went back to Sharjah and after a few months, died in an accident there,” she said.

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Though Fousiya tried to settle down after marriage, it was not successful. “After the marriage and subsequent divorce, I tried to keep away from football, but my friends brought me back to field. The re-entry, was in powerlifting. In 2002, I won bronze in the South India power-lifting championship. From 2002 October, I am training the girls at Nadakkavu school.”

When she was given a choice to choose between a permanent job in some other section and a contract-based job in sports-related field, she chose the second, with just Rs. 100 per day as football coach, under the Sports Council. The amount was later raised to Rs 7,000 per month in June 2010. Though the amount hardly befits the former power-lifting champion and mentor of many national and international players, it is a relief. She keeps the passion alive through her Women Football Academy started in 2007, coaching children from class V upward. For Fousiya, the game is still on.

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