Girls’ football match in Kolkata becomes reminder of struggles for women claiming space in sports

A friendly girls’ football match between Meye-Cheleder Khela and Rasa United Club organised on International Women’s Day in Kolkata, became a reminder of the continuous hurdles girls and women have to face to claim space in sports, especially sports which are male-dominated. 

The match organised by Bondhu Collective, an NGO, working with children from Kolkata’s Kalighat red-light area and nearby underprivileged households scheduled the match for March 8 at south Kolkata’s Deshapriya Park playground. But when they arrived, the ground was already being used for a boy’s cricket match.