Although she isnt entirely certain what all will be going into her suitcase,Tanya Minocha says she will definitely be packing her Lionel Messi T Shirt. Hes my favourite footballer says the 14-year-old midfielder,who is the only girl from Delhi to be selected for the month-long India Under-16 Girls Football Coaching camp beginning September 5 in Gandhinagar,Gujarat. Her selection came through based on her performance at the recently held U-16 Girls Nationals in Haldwani,Uttarakhand. While the Patparganj resident was always certain she wanted to play football,the other children in her locality werent particularly keen. When I first started playing football,all the boys in my colony would laugh at me. They would say things like you are a girl,you cant play with us. Now that I have been selected for the national camp they all say they are all very happy. But actually I think they must be jealous. Compared to them,her school Ahlcon in Mayur Vihar was much more supportive. We had regular matches both for boys and girls. Initially I would play just for my house team but then my coach noticed me and moved me into the school side. Ahlcon coach Manoj then advised her to go for the football tryouts that had been called by the Delhi Soccer Association. Manoj would also accompany school children on to the trials. During one of the visits he said It is not easy to convince parents that their child should go for these trials. If I need to go myself to ensure they feel that their children are with some one,then I will. The first trial Tanya went for was the U-19 trial. The coach there told her she was too young to be part of the team and advised her to take part in the U-16 trials. There she along with nearly a hundred other hopefuls,met coach Nagendra. A gruff man who is often seen mock charging,railing and ranting to get his point across to the players,Tanya admits she was scared of him at first. He was always shouting and very loud. But he also taught us a lot of things and we improved a lot. Although Tanya was selected into the state squad without much ado,her parents needed more convincing to let her go to Haldwani. She says,I told them I love this game. When I go on the field,I just feel so good. Ultimately they had to accept. First winTanya and the Delhi side went into the tournament with more than a hint of apprehension. Before our first match we were all very nervous because we had lost our first match last year by 17-0, she adds. While the first match once again ended in defeat,the margin was a respectable 0-1. Their second match against Pondicherry saw the girls open their account as they thrashed their opponents 4-0 with Tanya contributing the final strike. Impromptu celebrationTanya also celebrated her birthday that came during the tournament in Haldwani and while she says the impromptu party thrown by her team mates was memorable,the real present came a few days later. On their way back to Delhi,called Tanya aside gave her a chocolate and told her the good news. Her team mates who had been told of the call up before by the coach joined in the celebrations. I was thrilled. I was just so happy, recalls Tanya. At the end of the month long camp at Gandhinagar,Tanya says she has been told the team will get to participate at a tournament in Jordan. If she makes it she is sure she wont have to convince her parents once again on her choice. They will be even more happy. And all the boys in the colony even more jealous.
