Shilky Devi, hailing from Manipur, had to play with boys and despite the lack of facilities for the women players, she has excelled to become the captain of the U16 side and also in the India side for the 2022 FIFA U17 World Cup.
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The Northeast is emerging as the ultimate sporting hub when it comes to giving glory for India. In the recent Olympics in Tokyo, the likes of Mirabai Chanu and Lovlina Borgohain gave the country glory. MC Mary Kom has been the beacon of greatness for Manipur when it came to boxing exploits. The Northeast has produced a champion football winning side as well. Aizawl FC had won the I-League 2nd Division in 2015, becoming the first side from the Northeast to win a top flight title in Indian Football.
Yet, despite the giant strides made by the Northeast, there is still a factor of gender bias. This is exemplified by Shilky Devi, the young footballer from Moirang in Manipur. Moirang has already put itself on the world football map during the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2017. Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem was the goalkeeper of the Indian side and his performances in ATK and FC Goa have made him a household name. But, the journey for Shiki Devi has not been easy.
In an exclusive interaction with Sportslumo from Jamshedpur, Shilky Devi opened up on the plight of girls and what they had to face when they had to pursue football in Manipur. After some resistance from the parents, she finally got approval from her father, who works as a cook. In order to hone her skills, Shilky had to play with the boys in the neighborhood.
“My journey has been very difficult. My father encouraged me to take up the sport. There is a lot of difference between boys and girls when it comes to facilities in Manipur. We have very limited facilities when it comes to girls as compared to girls,” Shilky Devi stated.
From the initial resistance, Shilky matured as one of the best in the business at the youth level. She quickly broke into the national team and has also had the honor of captaining India at the SAFF U15 Women’s Championship 2018 in Bhutan. India won the event and Shilky finished as the joint top-scorer. At the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship 2019 qualifiers in Mongolia, Shilky was once one of the best in the business.
Having had the captaincy at such a young level, Shilky has only one mantra for leadership. “If the captain in the team does not perform, the side will not perform. It is not just one captain. The whole team can be the captain. The captain must support the team and control the side,” Shilky said.
But, the last one-and-a-half years have not been easy for Shilky. The year 2020 should have seen India host the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. But, the coronavirus pandemic shut the whole country down. Everything was halted and the tournament was postponed to 2022. For Shilky, it was a very difficult time indeed.
“It has been a difficult period. It has impacted not just India but in other countries. In Manipur, there was a curfew and it was difficult to practice on the football field. I feel very happy that action has resumed after one and a half years,” Shilky stated.
In an interview with goal.com, she has said that she likes Neymar’s celebration and also follows Sergio Ramos. From starting out as a center-back, under women’s coach Thomas Dennerby, Shilky has had to switch to defense but she is reveling in the change of role. For an individual who had to overcome the odds in dramatic circumstances, this role will only improve her game.
In the 2022 FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup, Moirang will once again be keeping a close watch on the tournament. In 2017, one star established himself as one of the best young guns in the business in Indian football. Five years later, Shilky will play a key role in eliminating the gender bias that existed in the formative years of her career.
