Barefoot beginnings to Subroto glory: How 16 Guwahati girls rewrote football history

Guwahati, Sept 3: Apart from their love for football and their recent Subroto Cup triumph, another common link among these 16 girls is struggle — in different shapes and at different stages of life.

Yet braving all the odds, the girls of Betkuchi High School in Guwahati scripted history for Assam, becoming the first-ever team from the State to win the international school-level tournament.

Perhaps that is why they find inspiration in Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I like Ronaldo,” Divia Tanti, a defender, told The Assam Tribune.

Why?

“Because Ronaldo has faced a lot of struggles in his life, and he overcame all the hurdles to become a global superstar. His story motivates us,” said Divia, who hails from Paneri in Udalguri. These girls train at the State Football Academy run by the Assam government.

Like Divia, almost all of them come from families that struggle to make ends meet. Their parents earn through small farming, daily labour or petty businesses in the neighbourhood. But on August 28, these girls turned their hardships into hope by lifting the 64th Subroto Cup (Under-17) title in New Delhi, beating West Bengal’s Nandajhar Adibasi Tapashili High School 3–1 in the final organised by the Indian Air Force. It was the first time Assam had its name etched on this coveted trophy.

Dreams that refuse to die

Divia used to play barefoot in her neighbourhood and dreamt of making it big, though it seemed far away. Now, five months after joining the academy, she believes it is possible. “My dream is to make it to the Indian team and play for the country. After winning the Subroto Cup, my confidence is high,” she said.

Her confidence is not misplaced. The team’s campaign was nothing short of remarkable. They scored 31 goals in just six matches, blending attacking flair with a defence that refused to yield. They thrashed Kerala 6–0 in the semifinal, swept aside Goa’s St Xavier’s Higher Secondary School 6–1 in the quarterfinals, and registered commanding wins in the group stage — 11–0 against Lakshadweep, 6–0 against Sri Lanka — before drawing 2–2 with Chhattisgarh.

Stars in the making

Forward Mary Mech struck nine goals in the last four matches, including two hat-tricks, and walked away with the player of the tournament award. Goalkeeper Furchang Lama’s sharp saves earned her the best goalkeeper trophy. Midfielder Milina Brahma too left her mark with a hat-trick that strengthened Assam’s campaign.

Mary, who hails from Pandhowa village in Dibrugarh’s Tengakhat, is the fourth among six sisters in a farmer’s household. Football, she says, came to her by accident. “When I first started training, I had not much idea. But now I think I can do something with football,” she said. Her smile grew wider when she added: “Being the top scorer makes me believe we can achieve tougher goals.”

Furchang, once a winger, now commands the goalpost with confidence. “My defenders helped me not to concede more goals. We played as a team. Without my teammates, I alone can’t keep the goal,” she said humbly. She remembers a training session in 2024 when she suffered a deep cut in her mouth. “After I recovered, my fear was gone,” she added with a smile. Her father, Labachang, who once played local football, now beams with pride watching his daughter bring glory to Assam.

Milina, from Dotma in Kokrajhar, is too shy to talk. She grew up listening to the success stories like Halicharan Narzary and Apurna Narzary and now wants to walk in their footsteps.

The hands that guide them

Behind these young achievers stand their coaches. Much of the credit goes to coach Pallabita Borah and academy mentor Bidhan Das. Pallabita in particular does more than just train — she often uses her network across Assam to scout for talent and spends hours convincing parents to allow their daughters to chase a dream many consider uncertain.

“It is not easy,” she admitted. “Sometimes convincing parents is harder than preparing for a match. But these girls give everything they have, and that is what keeps us going.”

Aiming for the sky

The girls don’t have the best hostel facilities. They share limited resources, train with whatever is available, and live far away from the glamour. But that does not shake their spirit. With every match, they believe more strongly that they belong on bigger stages.

From small villages across Assam, they came together to create history in New Delhi. Now, they look beyond, dreaming of wearing the Indian jersey one day.

As Divia put it, “I think I can do it.”

And her teammates, carrying the same fire in their eyes, believe they can too.