MUMBAI: In a country where women’s football is only beginning to gain momentum, Tanaz Mohammed aims to be a role model and a catalyst of change.

A product of Premier Skills, an international football development programme by the English Premier League, Tanaz aims to use the experience and knowledge imparted by the programme towards the effective development of the game within the various communities in the country.

Speaking to TOI, Tanaz says, “Ever since I started playing football, I always wanted to bring about a positive change. By venturing deeper into this sport, I’ve learnt that football can promote and empower community development.”

Tanaz has played all levels of football, be it school, district and college. Impressively, she’s also a state and national level hockey player though her priorities for the latter have dwindled.

After completing her post graduate course in sports management, Tanaz was offered a two-month internship at Indian Super League club Mumbai City FC to work with the grassroots development team.

Working at the club, Tanaz has got the opportunity to be part of the organising committee of various events be it football camps, community leagues et al. More importantly, her experience with Mumbai City FC opened the doors for her to work towards the development of women’s football, particularly for a Mumbai-based Muslim community where she says young girls don’t get enough of opportunities to play.

“The community was dominated by male players. When I conducted a 20-day summer camp for children, it was the first time that some girls were playing against boys. 500 girls participated in the camp so the willingness to play the sport was there. The only reason they were initially apprehensive about taking up the sport was self-made barriers,” Tanaz added.

Despite women getting limited opportunities to play, Tanaz aims to make a statement with the program. “Women are often subject to taunts. I have faced such criticism as well. All I get to hear is that women should refrain from wearing shorts to play.

“I made it clear that it didn’t matter what you wear. It’s all about the spirit of the game. The spirit of football will drive away your fear. If you hope to achieve something, let that be your driving force. It worked for me and my aim is to instill that quality in other girls,” she said.

