Bishnupur: Mention sports in the Northeast, and Manipur emerges on top. And in football, Manipur has no competition, especially in women’s football. The state has won the national championship 21 times and finished runners-up four times. And while football infrastructure is adequate in Manipur, one footballer was not so lucky.
But whoever climbed to the top because they could not overcome debacles?
Dangmei Grace did not grow up amid wealth and prosperity. She comes from the other end of the spectrum. She is the daughter of a Catholic catechist and a homemaker. Grace belongs to the Dimdailong village in Manipur’s Bishnupur district and growing up, she did not even have access to a playground.
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And who knows what turns her life would have taken had she not replaced one of her schoolmates during a football tournament in Kohima, Nagaland. That was the first time she played football, although she used to participate in sports activities at her school.
“Our school (Loyola School, Bishnupur) team won all the matches in the tournament. And after that, I was invited by the school coach for training and the rest is history,” recounted Indian forward Dangmei to EastMojo.
Now, Grace is among the few Indian women players to have signed a professional contract with foreign clubs.
EastMojo recently met the ace footballer at her home after she returned from Uzbekistan to play for FC Nasaf Sevinch Qarshi, a top-tier club in the central Asian nation.
“It’s a huge turning point for the Indian football team because some of the women players have started playing abroad. It inspires youngsters because if we can play overseas, then the youngsters have hope and a role model for them. I think this is a huge growth for Indian football as well,” said Dangmei.
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“When my daughter decided to play football, we supported her. However, when she got picked for trials and tournaments, we were happy and at the same time sad, because, due to financial problems, we were unable to buy her either equipment or her diet. But I am elated and grateful to God for her success and achievements so far,” said Simon, Grace’s father.
Dangmei would travel about 2 km from her home to practice football with her brothers at Bishnupur DSA Ground since there was no football ground in her village.
The first breakthrough came when she was picked for the U-14 team during a trial at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal in 2009.
“When I was playing for sub-junior National, I never thought that I could build a career out of it. I used to play as one of my hobbies. But then, I met senior football players popular in the Indian Women’s Football team in 2013 in Pune, like Bembem, Bala Devi, and Sushmita Malik. Seeing them playing and their behaviour, it inspired me and changed my mind and started taking playing football seriously,” said the Indian forward.
Grace started her Indian Women’s League (IWL) journey with home-based Kryphsa FC, a club which often uses crowdfunding and has produced top players for India, including Sweety Devi, Ratanbala Devi, and Martina Devi, among others. During her 10-year career, Dangmei has also played for some of the top-level women’s professional football clubs in the country like Sethu FC and Gokulam Kerala FC.
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With the Indian national team, Dangmei, known for her electric pace and exceptional dribbling skills, won the SAFF Championships in 2016 and 2019. In the same years, she also won the South Asian Games gold medals. She was also honoured with the IWL Emerging Player 2017-18 and the AIFF Emerging Player of the Year in 2019.
A fan of Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, Grace’s ultimate dream is to play for European clubs, and her stint in Uzbekistan is a step closer towards her dream.
Sharing her experience in Uzbekistan, Dangmei said, “When I signed the contract, I was nervous and doubted myself whether I would be able to perform well there because the Uzbekistan national football team is ranked higher than the Indian Women’s football team. “The initial week in Uzbekistan was tough because of the new environment, and I did not know their playing style. I had met them in friendly matches with India earlier, but I didn’t play with them. But later on, after playing with them, I learnt their techniques and shared my experiences with them.”
Besides adapting to the new environment, the Indian striker also said she faced the language barrier because most people either spoke Uzbek or Russian. “So whenever I want to say something, they don’t understand and I don’t understand them either. So I used Google Translate to buy something or for travel,” she said.
Her contract with the Uzbekistan football club is due to end by December 30 and the Indian forward is in talks with a few premier clubs in India.
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Indian Women’s Champions League is starting next January and I may be playing with one of those clubs in India for which I am in talks now, said Grace. She now wants to help young girls from her area in future so that they could play like her one day.
Such is her dedication to the sport that when there are no formal practices, Grace works out at the gym for at least an hour.
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The only exception is when she is at home, where she focuses on spending quality time with her family and relatives.
“In sports, Manipur is the powerhouse. And our chief minister is also from a sports background. So, I think there has been a lot of infrastructure improvement in various parts of the state, including hill districts. But in my village, there is no playground. I would like to request the concerned authority to look upon the matter so that more youths from this place may also start playing football,” she added.
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