Soren govt to provide support to tribal girls selected for FIFA U-17

RANCHI: The Jharkhand government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Thursday said that it will ensure all possible support to the seven tribal girls from the state selected for the national coaching camp for the FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup 2022. The Indian team, comprising 33 players, reached Jamshedpur for the training camp.

The Jharkhand girls among the 33 Indian players are Anjali Munda, Salina Kumari, Sudha Ankita Tirkey, Astam Oraon, Poornima Kumari, Neetu Linda and Anita Kumari. Of the 33, 18 players will make it to the team that will play the World Cup.

In a statement, the Jharkhand government said that the girls from the state showed tremendous courage and patience during the pandemic.

“Now, they are all set to represent the nation. The state government… has also shown the much-needed willingness to make their dreams come true. Support shall be extended to the selected candidates coming out of the camps by the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs,” it added.

Poornima Kumari, a native of Gumla, who has been selected for the camp, said that their training in Goa was affected due to the pandemic but they could practice in Jharkhand with help of the state government.

“My village did not have the facilities for practice, especially for girls playing football. But, help and support from the state ensured that I could play,” she said.

The seven girls were undergoing training in Goa in February-march 2021, but they had to return to Jharkhand due to the pandemic and training was arranged in Ranchi, the statement said.

“To provide support to these girls, football kits were provided by the Department of Sports and t-shirts were provided by the UNICEF. UNICEF has identified the selected players as Champions of Change for Child Rights,” it said.