Tanvie Hans bends it like Jesminder Bhamra

Tanvie Hans was just 12 when she sat in front of the giant screen in New Delhi when she watched Jesminder "Jess" Bhamra curve the ball into the top corner in Gurinder Chadha's Bend it like Beckham in 2002. Jess may be reel, but one need not look further for a real life hero as Hans became the first and the only woman from India to play for a top English football club when she signed for Tottenham Hotspurs in 2013.

Enjoying the off season, there's no prize for guessing what the attacking midfielder's favourite movie is. "I'm 24 now so it came basically came out half my life back. I think the movie opened people's minds including mine. It made me realise that there's a world out there for women to take up the game. It was through this film that I actually wanted to do something, something big. I've watched it so many times that I know each and every dialogue. I'm obsessed with the movie," said Hans from London.

The paths of Jess and Hans might be identical, including their Punjabi roots. But the one thing separating the two is the support by their parents.

"It was nothing like the movie," laughs aloud Hans. "The reason why I didn't face many problems was because they saw how hard and passionate I was. I used to wake up early for practice. I might have been late for other things but I was never late for football.

"As far as society is concerned, I'm from Punjab and it's very hard to convince people there that this is what I want to do. But I think I have been doing well and improving in recent times that the approval has gradually set in," says Hans who's completed two seasons with the London club.

Tearing defences apart in Defence Colony

From films, the focus shifts to Han's first love, football. Her love for the game was pretty much evident going by the choices she made. Living in Delhi's Defence Colony it wasn't probably just a coincidence that she went to Vasant Valley School — the first school in Delhi to have a girls' football team. It didn't end there for Hans as she went on to represent Delhi in the U-14, U-16 and U-19 levels. Like school, college was no different. Hans chose to study at the Jesus and Mary College knowing that they had the best women's football team in Delhi University.

"I used to always hang out and with my elder brother and his friends. I didn't have a role model while growing up nor do I currently have a favourite player or something but they were the ones I looked up to as a child.

"I used to play cricket. I played almost everything that our school had. I first played football in the third grade and realised that I shared an instant connect with the game. I consider myself really fortunate that the school I was part of happened to have a football team.

"When I was deciding my college and the place to pursue my masters degree, it was important that they have a football team as well. I might have done well in other colleges but I knew I would excel in the college that had a football team. That was priority for me." No prizes for guessing who bagged the captain's armband in Hans' final year in college.

Leaving India after snub

Hans once came close to representing the country. Having made the shortlist at the U-19 India camp at Gwalior in 2008, Hans was rejected because she held a British passport.

While her father is an Indian, her mother holds a British passport. They decided to get a British passport for Tanvie as well, though she was born in India.

"I really want to play for India. There is a lot of talent out there but due to certain laws they don't make the cut. I hope that there's a law passed for sportspersons so that we could benefit."

After graduating, Hans left the country to pursue her masters in international management from the University of Exeter in 2011. There she was exposed to how much support women's football gets.

"I knew that there was only a certain level that I could reach up to in India. Back in Delhi, our university team has stayed at some really poor conditions. Accommodations, training facilities and ground conditions were just not up to the mark. There isn't a women's league in India. They don't make you want to take up the career professionally. I knew there was an opportunity to make it big here."

Hans came back to Delhi after completing her Masters thinking she wasn't cut out to make it big in England. All that it took was rigorous training in a park in Greater Kailash with her school coach she fondly calls 'Chibbar Sir'.

"He dedicated so much of his time to me. We used to train in the morning and evening. I still remember that park very well. It has an ascent so there was a lot of uphill running that tested my speed and endurance. We knew there was a lot to be done to get to the English standard."

Spur of the moment

The hard work finally paid off when she was picked up by the reserve team of Tottenham Hotspurs in July 2013. "I found out about the trials held by different clubs. Tottenham liked what they saw. There was no transfer fee. It's not easy to get selected in the trials as there are close to 60 players who turn up when the requirement is just a handful. The intensity shown by the girls is just unbelievable. Each one of them wants to play for the shirt. I just did what I had learnt and played my natural game."

One would think that Hans has made it to the big league, but she has a long way to go. The attacking midfielder, who can play on either side of the wing or behind the striker is part of the Spurs third team that plays in the Premier League Southern Division (finished fifth in the league). The Premier League for women is the third level. There are two leagues above it- Super League 1 and Super League 2 where teams like Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool ply their trade. England might have a league of their own for women, but for Hans and many others, it's not enough to make a living.

Football yes, wages no

"Believe it or not, there are no wages even for the first team. Everyone in our team has a job or studies during the day. This is a reason why the training happens on Tuesday's and Thursday's (at Woodson Park in Hertfordshire) in the evenings after five — it's convenient for everyone. The coach informs us of the playing team for the weekend on Friday via WhatsApp. It's only the players for the big clubs in the Super League who get some amount of money, but even that's not enough. A ladies footballer does need a backup even in England," says the marketting executive.

Playing in India if not for them

For now, Tanvie's goals are simple. She is focussed on making it to the second team, and thereon to the first team. Besides the hope of playing for India, there's a lot about her home country she misses.

"I miss the noise and the food. But I also miss playing there. I may not get the chance to play for the country, but I wish something on the lines of a woman's ISL starts soon so that international players can come and play. I'd love to play in front of my friends and family."

KNOW HANS

Born: July 19, 1990

Club: Tottenham Hotspur L.F.C.

Position: Attacking Midfielder

School: Vasant Valley School, New Delhi

College: Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi