For the second time in two years, a student of Anand Niketan, Shilaj will captain the Gujarat team in the national girls' under-16 football championship.
For the second time in two years, a student of Anand Niketan, Shilaj will captain the Gujarat team in the national girls' under-16 football championship. Janki Mehta, a student of class IX, will follow in the footsteps of Janki Banjara and will play alongside international player Vishwa Patel, also from the same school, at the national tournament, which will be held in Haldwani, Uttarakhand from September 27.
“My aim is to become an Indian army officer, and football is one way of becoming fit and ready for the demanding job,” said Mehta, whose immediate ambition is to help the state team make a mark on the national level. She was also a member of the squad for last year's national tournament, playing stopper back.
Mehta, who was on Thursday appointed captain of the Gujarat team for the 6th National Girls Sub-Junior Football Championship, attended the state selection trials in Gandhinagar on August 30. More than 100 girls from across the state were present at the trials, reflecting the growing popularity of the world's most popular sport among girls in Gujarat, and Ahmedabad in particular; around 30 girls attended last year's selections.
Patel and Banjara have already caught the attention of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) selectors. Banjara attended a national camp last year, while Patel became the first girl from Gujarat to don national colours, in a junior international tournament in Vietnam in 2007. “This is a great boost for girls' football. It gives us the motivation to organise some activities for football buffs in Ahmedabad,” said Philip Job, joint secretary of the Gujarat State Football Association (GSFA).
Anand Niketan has meanwhile offered to hold a pre-tournament camp at its premises. “We offered to hold a camp and the GSFA was very pleased with the idea,” said Caesar D'Silva, principal of the school. “We are proud that our school continues to produce top-quality girl footballers,” said Rana Khetsingh, coach of the Anand Niketan football team.
Team: Janki Mehta (captain), Vishwa Patel, Kanika Mokkar, Khusbhoo Chaudhari, Poonam Upadhyay, Jeshal Parikh, Aashuta Goradia, Shakti Gohil, Dhara Patel, Hetanshi Bhatt, Krutika Patel, Anvi Majmudar, Upasana Mahajan, Dharna Jadeja, Nidhi Shah, Rushika Puwar, Divya Singh Rajput, Shruti Savalia.
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