Goal! These girls kick their way to the top

CHENNAI: They had been dreaming of it for long. Finally, their dream seems to have come true. Saktheeshwari (20) and Liza Vennila (19)  from Vyasarpadi slums have been selected as referees by the Tamil Nadu Football Association. “If not for football, we would have dropped out of school, got married by now and maybe had kids. We could have taken up a daily wage job and repeated the same lifestyle patterns like those of our mothers or any of the other girls in our  community,” the elated duo told City Express.Saktheeshwari’s tryst with football began when she was 13. “Every time, I passed by the football ground, I saw boys playing the sport. I liked to watch the sport and also wanted to play it,” said Saktheeshwari. “One day, I went and asked the coach from Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society if I could learn the sport. And then, there was no looking back after that.”Saktheeshwari has represented the state and also played for her university. Last month, she was part of the national team that won the Women’s Cup in the Homeless World Cup, which was held in Paris, France.Early September, Saktheshwari and Liza took exams for referees conducted by the Tamil Nadu Football Association and were selected for refereeing within Tamil Nadu. They said, “It was a proud moment for us. When we played, it was a different  ball game. But since we will be refereeing for the first time, we are a little scared of making mistakes. Because of our mistakes, we don’t want players to be penalised. Every day, we are practising and viewing matches to learn the skills quickly.”Liza, who plays right back, had also represented the state team, but narrowly missed playing in the Homeless World Cup as she did not have a passport. She has big dreams about her refereeing career. She said, “One day, I want to become a FIFA referee.”N Thangaraj, coach and coordinator of Slum Children Sports Talent Education Development Society, an NGO that uses football to bring about social transformation among children in the Vyasarpadi slums, said, “I am so happy about their selection. These girls are going to be an inspiring example for many other young girls in the slum areas of Vyasarpadi.”Saktheeshwari, who is  doing her final year Bio-Technology in Dr Ambedkar Arts College, and  Liza, who is doing her BA Economics  in Quaid-e-Millath College, are busy juggling football and studies as they get ready to take the next level of referee exams, which will allow them to do refereeing at the national level.