(TOI photo)

KOCHI: Priya PV had largely been unheard of before she guided Gokulam Kerala FC to title success in the Indian Women’s League fourth edition the other day. As a coach, she has got an impressive CV with two AFC U-14 championship wins. The first woman coach from Kerala to hold the AFC A-license, Priya, however, has always been one to stay away from the limelight.

“I never wanted any publicity. I came into football purely out of love for the game. Now, the only thing that I wish to see is Gokulam’s win generating interest for women’s football in Kerala and more girls starting to play the game,” Priya told TOI.

Daughter of ex-serviceman Prabhakaran, Priya was introduced to the game by her father at a very young age in native Kannur. “There was a summer coaching camp in Kannur after my tenth and that’s when I started playing seriously. I got selected for the Kerala team in 1997-98 and went on to play all the senior nationals till 2009. In my final senior nationals, I was the captain of the Kerala team,” said Priya who played primarily as a centreback or a wingback.

Priya knew very early in her career that coaching was her calling and worked towards it. “After my graduation, I took a masters in physical education from Calicut University and an M Phil. Then I got a diploma in coaching from the National Institute of Sport, Patiala. So that set me up for a career in coaching and by 2007, I already had an AFC C-license,” said Priya.

Under Priya’s stewardship, India won sub-junior (U-14) AFC championships in 2012 and 2013 but she laments the fact that the country loses its young talents as they grow older. “At the U-14 level when we played against teams like Iran, there were instances when we won by five-six goals. But when it comes to the higher age groups, we stand no chance against these powerhouses in Asia. That means there is talent here but we are not nurturing them enough. Without grassroots level development, we can’t achieve anything,” said Priya.

Gokulam’s title win in the IWL, the first by a Kerala football club in a national league, was a result of meticulous planning. “We started the process of identifying players at least six months ago. We watched the senior nationals, the various leagues like the Maharashtra league, the Manipur league and so on to get the right kind of players for each position,” said the coach.

Priya thinks that women’s football in the state has a lot of catching up to do as evidenced by the presence of just one Kerala player in the Gokulam squad. “If we had played with only Kerala players, we could not have won. Even the Gokulam management wants to include more players from the state in the future,” she said.

Mental toughness and intelligence are the two vital qualities that Priya looks for in a young player. “First of all, there has to be an interest in the game. Then you should be hardworking and disciplined. There is a certain level of intelligence you need to play this game and you should not be shy,” she said.

