The team's first public match during the Gyalum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup.
For the first time in history, a football program for Tibetan women has begun operation in Dharamsala. Working under the banner of the Tibetan National Sports Association, the program was founded in October 2011 to serve as a tool for the empowerment of Tibetan women in the refugee community.
Currently offered to nine Tibetan schools around India, eighteen people have been trained on how to best coach the 180 teenage girls participating in the program. The Tibet Women’s Football program and its enthusiastic supporters hope to double this number in the coming year.
A spokesperson for the program commented, “One of the most rewarding results so far has been receiving dozens of emails from Tibetans all over the world thanking us for our work. The most emotional ones are from Tibetan women who always wanted a chance to participate in sports while they were in school, but never had the opportunity. They are so happy to see that now finally Tibetan girls are able to play.”
The highlight of the program is a one-month captains’ training camp that prepares girls from each participating school to become leaders of the new teams through both football and empowerment training. The camp will continue to be staffed by professional coaches, and guests will include sports psychologists, female empowerment lecturers, physiotherapists, nurses and specialized sports trainers.
In May, the first official Tibetan women’s premier team was selected from schools in northern India. The team competed on the opening day of the Gyalum Chemo Memorial Gold Cup against an Indian women’s squad. During their public debut, the Tibetan women won 2-0 in front of a crowd of 3000 cheering fans.
The Tibetan Women's team playing a Himachali women's team at their debut match.
The premier team aims to develop its players into the seeds of the first Tibetan women’s national team, ready for international competition by 2017. The team will continue to train and organize friendly matches with Indian teams as they progress towards their goal.
Crowning its initial success, Tibet Women’s Football has just signed a sponsorship deal with Canadian-based company LUSH Cosmetics. The program will be featured on the packaging of LUSH’s products, and the deal signifies a major step forward for the team, which is currently entirely dependent on donations from businesses and individuals abroad.
The founding of Tibet Women’s Football coincides with a significantly positive shift in attitude towards women’s sports within the Tibetan refugee community. This trend is expected to continue its spread into additional aspects of life, advancing women’s rights and encouraging better representation in both the community at-large and Tibetan government-in-exile.
In the long term, program organizers hope that participants will cultivate a stronger belief in themselves and their power as women so that they can become more vocal and valuable members of the community. In applying their unique talents in all areas of their education and careers, it’s hoped the women’s football team will have a positive influence on younger generations.
For those interested in learning more or becoming involved in the program, please visit tibetwomenssoccer.org.
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