All-trans football team in Manipur awaits recognition and support to keep the game going

The founder launched a crowdfunding campaign seeking funding support

When Ya All, an NGO in Manipur, started a football team, everyone took notice. For, it was no ordinary set of dribblers on the field, but an excited squad of transgenders looking to showcase their skills.

Not just that. The NGO also announced a tournament only for third gender players.

Among those elated at the development was Miller Khuman, who had an arena to excel now and be part of India’s first all-transgender football team. That was in 2020. Two years down the line, the team has hit a roadblock, with their hopes of getting official recognition as a third gender sports outfit derailed through prejudice and government apathy.

“We want to play like other professional footballers but that goal seems impossible without recognition from the government,” Miller, 27, who is now the captain of the all transgender football team, told DH from Imphal on Sunday.

“We want the government to recognise us as a third gender category of players and support us accordingly.”

But that is easier said than done in a state that not only lacks such a policy but is yet to open up to the possibility of third gender sports. Sadam Hanjabam found this out the hard way. After launching Ya All in 2017, he began organising an all-transgender football tournament and worked for the welfare of the third gender community. But it has not been easy.

Hanjabam, who also founded the football team, said they approached All Manipur Football Association for getting registered as a third gender football team.

“But some officials asked me to register the team as a women’s team as the government is yet to formulate a policy to recognise third gender players. They told me that since these players were born as women, they can register as a women’s team only,” he said.

Crowdfunding

With the Manipur government unwilling to support them, Hanjabam has launched an online crowdfunding campaign seeking financial support. “We need at least Rs 15 lakh for one year to support the players and their training. So I requested corporate groups, NGOs and others to support us till we succeed in convincing our government to recognise the third gender players as a separate category,” Hanjabam said.

“Manipur is considered as a sports hub of the country but the transgender players are struggling for their identity on the field,” he said. Highlighting the discrimination, Hanjabam referred to other incidents involving transgender players, in which “medals of many transgender players have been taken taken away based on their hormone levels, and after they were found hiding their gender.”

“So if we can support the third gender players, like we have done in some other sectors, we will be able to set a model team to bring in inclusivity in sports too,” he said.