Aditi Chauhan is the only Indian woman footballer who has played with West Ham United Ladies Football Club in the United Kingdom for two seasons from 2015.

After her return from England, Aditi is now looking forward to regaining her spot in the National Women’s Team For The Asian Games 2018 which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia. According to The Times of India, on her return and participation in the Asian Games, Aditi said, “I am coming back from an injury and this year the Asian Games are taking place in August. So my target is to return to the senior team and represent my country in Indonesia.”

She also said that the team is in a better position now and more prepared than last year. She said, “We still have a long way to go but I am confident that the team will do better this time compared to last year. Last time, it was a little bit unfair also as in our pool there were teams like China and Korea. They are ranked much higher than India so we were unlucky in that aspect.”

Playing with professional clubs in England increased her confidence level. She was studying sports management at the Loughborough University, UK. Talking about her experience, she said, “I had gone for studies and landed in London for an internship through my course. There are opportunities, no matter what level you are playing and there is a football club in every corner.”

“I attempted a trial in Mill Wall club but because I was on a student visa I could not play professionally for that club. But their goalkeeper coach was also the West Ham coach and suggested me to give a trial there. After the trial match and two training sessions, I was selected,” she added.

She also feels that it is extremely unfair to compare Indian Football Team with England’s. She expressed, “We have to accept the fact that the history of football in Europe is very old while the football culture in our country is new. It is very unfair to compare the two. Football is their main sport and it will take time to match their standard.”

H/T: The Times of India