Family or football? The choice that shaped Afshan's career

From trying to shed her image as a "stone-pelting footballer" to possibly see her eventful life story roll out in a biopic, it has been one emotional ride for Afshan Ashiq.

"I want my biopic to be real without any masala added to it," Afshan tells DH about her proposed Bollywood movie. "Apart from depicting my struggles, it needs to highlight uplifting women through sports that goes beyond religion or attire as I am often criticised for wearing athletic clothing," says the 26-year-old, currently in Bengaluru, competing in the Intimacy 3rd Karnataka Women’s Football League under way at the Bangalore Football Stadium.

It was a one-off incident when an impressionable Kashmiri girl got into a skirmish with the local police sometime in 2017. Her photograph of hurling a stones at cops went viral, earning her uncomfortable attention and infamy. The unwanted moniker has stuck to her but Afshan wants only her football skills on the field to make all the noise.

Her passion for football shone through under one of the most difficult circumstances one can face. She was given an ultimatum by her father Ashiq Ahmed of choosing either family or football. It was her toughest decision ever but Afshan chose the latter. And on the day of Eid, she left teary-eyed to catch a flight to Mumbai without a word, while her loved ones were busy in the festivities.

Brought up in a conservative upbringing from a conflict-hit state-turned-Union Territory, Mumbai was a cultural shock for an unsuspecting Afshan.

“A week after staying at the hotel, I rented a room near Panvel," she says without even realising that she could have rented an apartment. "I lived (there) for more than a year by myself and traveled three hours one-way by bus and local trains for practice. Those were my toughest days.”

The first woman footballer from Jammu and Kashmir to break into national limelight, she credits her success to the bold decisions she made, spurred on by her love for the sport.

“Though many people felt it was selfish of me to do what I did, I knew it was for a bigger purpose of inspiring several girls from the valley to chase their dreams,” she added.

Afshan trained with Premier India Football Academy (PIFA), during her initial days in Mumbai and it was during the Indian Women's League (IWL) qualifiers when she convinced her parents to visit and see her in action.

"That was when we met for the first time since I left home and also the first match my father watched me play," recalls Afshan with a smile that reflects relief. "Post match, he embraced me and broke down and promised to never oppose my sporting career.”

Interestingly, Afshan was a cricketer before she turned a football goal-keeper in 2013. She met a coach, Abdulla, when he spotted her whiling away her time in the stands of a football ground during Afshan's under-graduation years at Moulana Azad Women’s College in Srinagar. An unexpected rendezvous that changed her life.

“For over a year, my father, thought I was playing cricket while I was actually practicing football. However, my mother and grandmother knew the truth and they were my biggest support system throughout,” she gushes.

From being the only girl playing football with boys to becoming a coach for 150 girls by starting her own club, Unique Football Girls, Afshan says that her male contemporaries from the valley were among her biggest cheerleaders and supporters.

"I had to convince parents to allow their daughters to play. Though the game has grown immensely from the initial days, we have a long way to go before a girl playing sport becomes a norm in Kashmir,” she stresses.

Afshan is also constantly involved with the the owners of the Real Kashmir FC, Poonam Chattoo and her husband Sandeep Chattoo, who launched a women’s team from the club last year.

Introduced to Bangalore United Football Club's Chitra Gangadharan, a former international goal-keeper, through PIFA owner Anjali Shah, Afshan says her second visit to the garden city is focused on gaining knowledge about the sport.

“I want to learn as much as I can from Chitra madam to improve my game. The coordination and camaraderie between the BUFC players is amazing which is why we are able to perform well so far in the league,” she said.

“With our regular goal-keepers unavailable we were on a look-out for promising goalies and found Afshan. BUFC's mantra is to progress as a team and in the individual's overall development through football. She is a good learner and has immense potential,” said Chitra.