'Everything's possible with passion and hardwork': Bala Devi on her historic move to Scottish giant Rangers

It was in 2011 that two Indian players travelled to Glasgow to begin trials at Scottish giants Rangers FC. That trial period ended on a disappointing note for Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua as they came back home empty-handed. But now, almost a decade later, India will have one of their players donning the illustrious Rangers jersey as a professional footballer. And that player is Indian women’s football star Ngangom Bala Devi. On Wednesday, the 29-year-old from Manipur signed a historic 18-month deal with the Scotland club. The contract was a result of her successful trial in Glasgow last November. [caption id=“attachment_7982581” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Bala Devi is the first Indian women’s footballer to secure a professional contract with an overseas football club.[/caption] What is historic about the deal is that Bala becomes the first Indian woman to earn a professional football contract overseas and she will also be the first Indian to play for a European top division club. “I am extremely happy. This is history. It’s a huge opportunity for me and I hope to do my best in Scotland to make my country proud,” said Bala, who is contracted to Manipur Police Sports Club, told Firstpost. “It’s a big move. Rangers have been investing heavily in the women’s team. We have got international players from Scotland, France and now from India. Bala, I think is the icing on the cake. She brings along a lot of goals and experience with her. India is losing one of her children but she is more than welcome in Rangers family,” Mark Hateley, former Rangers player and club ambassador said.

You're going where no Indian woman footballer has gone, and you will be carrying the dreams of us all. Good luck, Bala. Do us proud. pic.twitter.com/RYj7B2nVa2

— Sunil Chhetri (@chetrisunil11) January 29, 2020

Bala’s move is highly significant at a personal level but it’s expected to have a larger impact on the women’s football ecosystem in India which is still at a nascent stage despite its long history. While few states like Manipur, from where Bala hails, have multiple district level leagues, most of the states lack the required infrastructure and grassroots support. Even the Indian Women’s League currently runs for just three weeks. “I want to give a message to football aspirants, especially women,” said Bala. “If you have the passion and if you are ready to work hard, you can achieve anything in life. Anyone can become a professional football player regardless of gender. More and more women should be encouraged to play football in India. I hope my move will inspire more women’s footballers and promote the game in India.” Known for being a prolific goal scorer, Bala became an international player at the age of 15. Her journey began with playing against boys in her hometown and now she is the current top-scorer for India, with 52 goals from 58 games. She was also the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Women’s Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016 and has been the top-scorer in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) for the past two seasons. [caption id=“attachment_7982611” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Bala Devi with Rangers legend Mark Hateley in Bengaluru.[/caption] And with so many accomplishments already in her career, it’s not a surprise that the dribbler from Manipur is confident of doing well with Rangers. “I gave my best during the trial, scored goals. It’s now time to repeat the same. I need to focus more on my practice and am pretty confident that I will get the chance to play for Rangers.” Bengaluru FC played the role of facilitator Bala is scheduled to fly out in the first week of February to join her new teammates but the route to Glasgow had its own blockades. The eligibility rules for a woman footballer to play in the UK require the player’s country to be ranked in the top-40 of the FIFA rankings, and that the player should have played in a minimum of 75 percent of international matches in the last two years. India women’s team is currently ranked 57th. Bala did not fulfill the eligibility criteria but this where Bengaluru FC, who have a two-year partnership with Rangers, played the role of facilitator. “As a club we don’t have a football team but we want to function in a manner that we contribute to Indian football. When we were in Glasgow to make the announcement about the partnership, we spoke to Amy McDonald (Rangers’ women’s football manager) about having one or two women’s footballers from the national team for trial at Rangers,” Mandar Tamhane, CEO of Bengaluru said. “So we started the search after coming back and we felt Bala will be the right pick. The feedback from the trial was very good. However, work permit was not going to be easy considering Bala is an Indian.”

Super stoked to be part of the Rangers Family ! Cannot wait to join the team and meet my fans .
I am fortunate to have recieved this opportunity at this point of my career. #ShePower #GoBlue #Girlsinfootball #GroundKnowsNoGender #grateful pic.twitter.com/sY0jAHrWVg

— Bala Devi (@BalaDevi_10) January 30, 2020

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While Rangers hired lawyers to make a case for Bala in front of the Scottish Football Association, Bengaluru and player’s representative worked overtime in India to arrange recommendation letters. “The fact that women’s U-17 World Cup is going to be hosted in India also played a role while we got a recommendation letter from AIFF to present to the panel hearing Bala’s case. We also got letters from Indian women’s team coach Maymol Rocky, Bembem Devi, Bhaichung Bhutia, Renedy Singh, who is president of Football Players’ Association of India, and Sunil Chhetri. All this was put together in a structured manner and an appeal was made to the six-member panel which unanimously agreed to the fact that work permit should be issued to Bala. This is what secured the deal. Now she will be playing football for Rangers.” Bala Devi will not be just playing for Rangers but will be living a dream as well, a dream that is capable of inspiring a whole new generation of players. The Scottish Women’s Premier League 1, the top division league in Scotland, gets underway on 23 February, that’s when the dream begins.