Indian women’s football’s next big hope? Dharshini’s rise from the small town of Mannargudi to the big leagues

Women’s football in India is at an interesting crossroads. While the senior national team enjoyed a dream run in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers, going undefeated and sealing its place in the tournament on merit, the campaign itself proved disappointing, with India bowing out of the group stage this month.

As the national team looks ahead to what comes next, the future of the game may be in the hands of a new generation. In Mannargudi Municipality, Thiruvarur district, such a story is already taking shape.

At just 15 years old, S. Dharshini is quietly carving her own path.

Dharshini, a striker from the small town, recently turned heads while playing for Liberty Ladies in the Indian Women’s League 2. She also lit up the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) League, finishing with 23 goals to claim both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards for the best player.

However, her journey to football began under the most ordinary of circumstances.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Dharshini went out for a walk in the evening to get some fresh air. At a nearby ground, boys from her area gathered for their daily dose of football. Just watching it was enough, as she found herself drawn to the sport almost immediately.

Anyone who has seen the beautiful game knows how easy it is to fall in love with it, and Dharshini was no different. Unlike many teenagers who keep such interests to themselves, she went home and told her parents she wanted to play soccer. Her mother, Kalaiyarasi, a tailor and homemaker, and her father, Salamon Raja, a driver, supported her decision.

Dharshini thus became the first girl from her community to take the sport seriously.

«I went to tell my mother and she allowed me into the Star Football Club, and that’s how I learned the sport and started playing. A friend of mine also came along, but her parents didn’t let her after a few days, so she stopped coming,» Dharshini said. Sports stars.

It was in 2018 that she first started playing football, and in the years that followed, the growth of the young striker from a small district far from metropolitan sports centers was remarkable.

Although he hails from Thiruvarur district, which covers only about 1.6 percent of Tamil Nadu’s total area and is far from the state’s major sporting centers, Dharshini believes there has been a gradual change in the community’s views. Today, they say, when people see her achievements, more and more parents are starting to consider sending their daughters to soccer or sports in general.

«I am lucky that I have supportive parents. Whatever I ask, they agree,» Dharshini said.

For now, her life revolves around balancing football and academics. The forward will take her Class 10 exams in the coming week and details a daily routine that requires discipline and dedication.

«I train every day. On weekends I train from 6 am to 9 am. On school days I train from 6 am to 7.30 am and then go to school. In the evening I train again from 5.30 pm to 7 pm and then I go home to study,» said Dharshini.

Pursuing a dream often requires some sacrifices. During her evolving journey, Dharshini recalled an instance where football and academics collided, but she chose the game.

«I recently had my second midterm exam and two days before the exam I had to travel to Chennai to play a tournament organized by an academy. I thought I would be able to return on time but unfortunately I had to skip my exam. Considering my football journey, my school allowed me to miss it. They have been very supportive,» she said.

Dharshini is currently training under coach J Nadeshvaran, who has been coaching players for eight years and managing the Star Football Club in Mannargudi.

According to him, her potential was clear from the very beginning.

«We come from a small village, and usually it’s only the boys who get to play football. During Covid, Dharshini joined and from the beginning I saw that she had good potential,» Nadeshvaran said.

«In the early days, when I was one player short in the regular boys’ group, I had to involve Dharshini. She played good passes and even scored goals. That’s when I realized she was talented and I wanted to help her reach the next level.»

Since then, Dharshini has represented Tamil Nadu in three national-level tournaments. She also captained the SGFI Under-14 Tamil Nadu girls team and traveled to Jharkhand and Maharashtra, where she finished among the top scorers.

Her performances quickly caught the attention of scouts. Dharshini was spotted by a Chennai-based academy called Turn Pro, and through that she got an opportunity to participate in the RFYS League in the Under-17 category. The matches were held in Chennai at FC Marina in Vanagaram and the Thiru Vi Ka Football Ground in Shenoy Nagar.

“Reliance’s opportunity was really helpful,” Nadeshvaran explained.

«Normally tournaments are played in a knockout format. Even if you are a good team, one bad day will leave you out. Here they ran it in a league format, so we got a lot of matches and played against different teams. The exposure was also useful and the players experienced good grounds and 90-minute matches.»

Interestingly, Dharshini competed against older players throughout the tournament.

«Though Dharshini is only 15 years old, we made her play in the Under-17 category to improve. Most of the girls were born in 2008 or 2009, while Dharshini was born in 2011. Even then, she scored 23 goals. Competing with older age players and still finishing like this was remarkable,» Nadeshvaran said.

Behind her rise is the continued support of her family, especially her mother, who Nadeshvaran describes as the backbone of both Dharshini’s journey and the household msdd.

«On most days, her mother is the one who runs the family. She is the reason Dharshini got to where she is today. She makes sure Dharshini goes to practice every morning, prepares her for school and then leaves for work,» Nadeshvaran said.

«When a girl plays sports in villages, there will always be people talking. But her parents trusted her and the coaches when she traveled to tournaments. Because of that trust, Dharshini is now one of the top scorers in Tamil Nadu football.»

During the 2024-2025 season, she finished as Tamil Nadu’s top scorer at the Junior Nationals and also found the net at the Dr. Talimeren Ao Junior Girls’ National Football Championship 2025-2026.

According to Nadeshvaran, her rise has inspired more youngsters in the village to take up the sport.

“She has become a role model here,” he added.

Dharshini now dreams of representing India.

«My dream is to play for India. From the day I started playing football, I wanted to score goals and that’s why I always played as a striker,» she said.

Published on March 16, 2026