The success of Women’s Football is high on the Federation’s list of priorities, and as per the objectives in Vision 2047. The-aiff.com is present with the U-20 Women’s National Team in Vietnam, to follow the upcoming stars of Indian Women's Football in their AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup campaign.

Navaneeth K
AIFF Media Team

PHU THO, VIETNAM: When Head Coach Maymol Rocky informed Apurna Narzary that she would lead the National Team in the AFC U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers Round 1 in Vietnam, the girl from Assam’s Kokrajhar district stayed speechless for a minute.

"For a few seconds, I could not believe my ears. It was a huge honour for me. I felt proud when Maymol madam told me about my appointment. At the same time, the first thing that came to my mind was that it was a big responsibility and we should make every effort to qualify for the next round," Apurna said.

Round 1 of the Qualifiers will be played on March 4-12, 2023. Apart from India, hosts Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia are the other three teams in the group. In the first match on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, India will take on Singapore at 1.30 pm IST.  

A prolific goalscorer at the domestic level, Apurna is no stranger to the National Team. She had played for the India U-18 team in the SAFF Women's Championship and then her ability to square up against the rival defence upfront also won her a place in the Senior team.

Apurna admitted her graduation to the National Team wasn’t easy. "Initially, I was a bit nervous, but my seniors in the team gave me the required confidence and support. I not only enjoyed this togetherness, but it also gave me the extra motivation to perform better," said Apurna.

Having started playing the game at a very young age, Apurna, in her own words, wasn’t a born striker. "At the start, I preferred playing on the right. But once I joined the National camp, I was given the role of a striker," she said.  

The transformation had its own demands. Apurna spoke frankly about the difficulties she had undergone while switching to the role of a striker. "In the beginning, there were problems with my finishing. So, I had to work extra hard to come to terms with the position. The approach is always different, you know. But I succeeded," she said with a laugh.

Going back to her childhood, Apurna was not born with a silver spoon, but she had an advantage that not many girls in India enjoy. While taking up football at a young age, she had the backing of her family, who wanted her to pursue the career.   

"My father himself was a football player at the local level, so he has the required passion. When I was very young, I wanted to play football. Since no other girl in our area played football, I chose to play with the boys. Later, when I wanted to take it up as a career, my father backed my decision," Apurna said.  

"My family backed me fully after I was selected for the National Team. My mother, father, sister and everyone else in the family backed me. They all said, go and do well. They will always ask me in detail about what happened when I played for the National Team, how the experience was, or how I performed on the pitch. It gives me the extra stimulus to do better for the National Team. Imagine how thrilled my whole family will be If I can go back home from here with wins in our bag," says Apurna.