When I started coaching football in Hinganghat (Wardha, Maharashtra) more than two decades ago, I recall the challenges of bringing girls onto the football field were huge. I literally had to go to parents’ homes and coax them to let their girls play football.

While at times I was welcomed and families did listen to my point of view, about why I thought their girl was talented and could make her mark as a footballer, there were occasions when I was greeted with suspicion bordering on hostility.