Kolhapur (Maharashtra): With the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup to be held in India next year, head coach Maymol Rocky feels that hosting and playing in the biennial contest is the perfect step to build upon the impetus generated so far.
Women’s football in India has seen an upsurge in the last few months, thanks to performances of the senior national team under coach Maymol.
“It’s an opportunity to play at the highest level for the young players and being a part of it all will be an experience they will enjoy and remember forever. I’ve always been one to place my faith in the abilities of youngsters and this tournament will be vital in rearing the next generation,” Maymol said.
Reflecting on how the World Cup will “bring the entire nation together”, she said, “We have seen what happened in 2017 during the U-17 World Cup. The whole country will come together for football and young children and parents will be motivated to get more involved in the sport.”
“We have a good amount of time to plan and the players have the potential to shine. We need to give the coach time and believe in the team. I believe we can put together a strong team and I’m excited to watch them play soon – as everyone else will be too,” she said.
Maymol has a vast amount of experience when it comes to coaching age group teams. Since 2012, she has led the U-15 and U-16 teams before taking up the senior team position. Currently, in Kolhapur for the Junior Girls National Football Championship (NFC), she is among multiple scouts responsible for identifying potential talents for the upcoming World Cup and has been impressed by what she has seen so far.
“I’ve been with age-group national teams for a number of years and I can say that these girls (at the Junior Girls NFC) are better. The current generation has improved a lot – for example, many players have shown that they are apt at using both feet. The coach will have a lot to work upon but there have certainly been a lot of positive signs,” she said.
Under Maymol’s leadership, Indian team lifted the SAFF Women’s Championship title for the fifth consecutive time and almost upset Myanmar to reach the 2020 Olympic Qualifiers Round 3. However, the coach admitted that the challenge was a difficult one but acknowledged that the players left no stone unturned.
“I found it difficult when the team first got together in December but we worked extremely hard to get on track. To their credit, the girls were open and disciplined and never gave any problems off the field. On the field – we got the team together, stronger, fitter and more confident. The players slowly started believing in themselves and in the end, we stuck to our guns and played our hearts out,” Maymol said.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]