Sruti Chakraborty
AIFF Media Team

YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA: Come Wednesday, January 15, 2025, it will be a day of awakening for Indian futsal as the National Women's team will play their first-ever international match in the AFC Women's Futsal Asian Cup Qualifiers 2025 in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.

The monumental moment will come against Hong Kong in Group B that will kick off at 11.30 am IST at the 5000-capacity Among Rogo Sports Hall.

The team that arrived in Yogyakarta on Monday after a long journey had a well-deserved rest before holding their first training session on Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, a light drizzle washed the green city of Yogyakarta to make it look even more youthful.

There is definitely a sense of pride playing among the coaches and players as they prepare to take the international stage for the first time tomorrow.

“It has been a dream. It has always been a dream. I am sure many of the girls had a dream to represent the country. And here they are,” said head coach Joshuah Vaz.

“For me, this feeling is a huge moment. It is a very emotional moment as well, to be making history for the country. The girls also know the responsibility that rests on their shoulders of representing the country. This is their opportunity to start the process of great things to happen in India in futsal.

“If the players perform well, it will show that there is a future for futsal in India. I believe they will do well against Hong Kong," he added.

Hong Kong head coach, Ho Wing Kam, said at the pre-match press conference, “This will be our first match tomorrow in this group, but we want to win all the matches and qualify for the final round in China.” 

Hong Kong is ranked 31 in FIFA women’s futsal, having played three games in the AFC Women's Futsal Championship Thailand in 2018.

Joshuah is aware of this and said, “To play against Hong Kong, we have a set strategy. We have to be a little alert and cannot dive into things. We should be defending well in one-on-one situations and keep our defence compact. We will try to do well in the attacking systems and in the attacking movements. We don't want to confuse the girls with too many tactics and too many strategies. So, we will focus on tomorrow's match first, and then we will move on to the other matches.

“The key thing is that you need to be smart; you need to be willing to learn. And the girls have done well. They have realised that after playing futsal, when they go onto a football field, the space becomes much bigger and much easier for them.

“The latest trend in futsal is that teams usually play 3-1 and 2-2, and they switch between these systems during the attacking movements. During the rotations, you switch from 3-1 to 2-2. So, that is what the girls have been taught. We will be focusing on a 3-1 and 2-2 with a lot of different attacking variations in that, also focusing on set pieces," the coach mentioned.

Arya More from Kolhapur, Maharashtra, will be the first captain of the women’s national team.

She said, "As the captain of the first Indian team to play futsal, I feel great. My parents also are proud of me. When I first joined, I didn't think I would get the chance to make it to the team, but I have learned so much about futsal, and we have truly become a team. We are happy as a team and have bonded well since our camp days.

“The skills required for ball judgement and ground judgement are different in futsal. There is little mental pressure because it's the first time for everyone, but we will beat Hong Kong. Their players have a good physique and are strong. We will hold and play, which will be easier for us and score goals.  I want to thank AIFF for their support as our team will play in the competition for the first time," Arya said.