Hope India’s Women’s World Cup victory will have a trickle-down effect on women’s football in the country: Pradhyum Reddy

Indian football expert Pradhyum Reddy has worn many hats. An I-League 2-winning coach, an interim Indian Super League manager, a general manager, a women’s football coach and a football educator – Pradhyum has covered the spectrum.

He is currently the head coach of the Philippine Under-17 Women’s National Team and believes India’s victory in the Women’s ODI World Cup will be a boost to the beautiful game in the country.

«It will be a catalyst for women’s cricket and hopefully that will have a trickle-down effect on women’s sports in general in the country. There is not enough spotlight on them (in India). If you look at the progression of football, that is one of the places (to watch) and certainly in Indian football,» Pradhyum told Sportstar.

India defeated South Africa by 52 runs in Navi Mumbai on Sunday to clinch their maiden ODI World Cup in front of a sold-out, raucous crowd of 45,000, a record for a women’s match.

The 2022 UEFA Champions League Women’s Final had a record attendance of 91,648, while the last edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup raised $570 million, allowing it to break even, with more than 1.9 million fans attending the tournament.

“If you look at it, women’s sport is on the rise globally, whether it is in the Premier League or in the US, and especially in Asia, women’s football is on the rise,” Pradhyum added.

South Asia has also made progress in women’s football: the country will have two representatives – India and Bangladesh – at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 27 years.

India in particular has impressed across all age groups, qualifying for the U-17, U-20 and senior AFC Women’s Asian Cups for the first time on merit.

On the contrary, the Indian men’s team is out of the qualifying race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, and no schedule has been finalized yet for domestic men’s football – the top two divisions.

«If you look at the success of India’s women’s teams at age group and senior level, there is a lot of potential if the right investment comes in and more people pay attention. It can be done the right way because the less said about men’s football, the better,» says Pradhyum.

Also read | ‘Not the end, just the beginning’: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur after winning the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup

«It is a disaster and it has to be rebuilt from scratch. You can at least avoid those mistakes in women’s football, because there is not so much negativity surrounding it at the moment.»

Pradhyum was CEO of the Dempo Sports Club in Goa for more than three years before taking charge in the Philippines, where his side defeated Malaysia, Syria and Tajikistan to qualify for the second time ever.

«I wanted to get away from Indian football because I think most football clubs here don’t have a growth mentality. Then the opportunity arose in the Philippines to get back into women’s football,» he says.

Pradhyum coached women’s soccer in the United States – NCAA Division One – in the 2000s, working with Manhattan University.

«It’s been fifteen years. I used to do that in the US. So I got to go back and work with players of the same age and caliber, and it was exciting to be back on the field and a lot of fun. (I’m) looking forward to probably more spells like that,» he says.

Published on November 3, 2025