By Manas Mitul and Vinayakk Mohanarangan
Twenty-two-year-old Aditi Chauhan should not be worrying about a visa. She should not be fretting about immigration hassles and possibility of deportation. For her, the first Indian woman to play football in England, the possibilities should be endless.
When Aditi signed for West Ham United Ladies in August, she created history and sent ripples across the country. The goalkeeper, who has represented India at under-19 and even at senior level at 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, now faces a tide herself. Her student visa expires on 29 January 2016, following which she'll have to come back to India. She will no longer be able to play for West Ham.
The Football Association (FA) rules require her to get a work visa to continue guarding the goalposts in England. And to get a work visa, she first needs to find work.
"The FA rules do not allow me to play for a first or a second division club on a student visa. That's why I moved to West Ham Ladies, a third division club. But they can't sponsor my visa, only first and second division clubs can do that," Aditi told Firstpost in a telephonic conversation.
Aditi's best chance now is West Ham itself. Premier League regulars West Ham United FC can bail her out by offering her a job and thus sponsoring her work visa. Aditi, with crossed fingers, will be meeting West Ham representatives on Wednesday.
If West Ham chose to employ Aditi and hence sponsor her work visa, it would allow her to play at any club, in any division. She won't be restricted to playing for West Ham, and her work permit will also throw open the first and second divisions for her. Aditi explained her predicament to the chairman of West ham Ladies, who then got in touch with the parent club and got the meeting fixed. The ladies team is trying to help her get the visa so she can stay and complete the season with them.
Aditi completed her Masters in Sports Management form Loughborough University earlier in 2015 and had started out as an intern at Decathlon, a sports apparel and equipment manufacturer in London. The Indian number one moved to London and had a tryout with Millwall FC. But the FA rules kept her from playing at the second division club on a student visa. It was then that she moved to West Ham and an incredible story followed.
As it stands, Aditi's journey in English football will be cut short to a sojourn. Few from India have played for an overseas club, and fewer in England. And Aditi, aware of the opportunity she has, is doing everything she can to continue playing football in England.
"I spoke to All India Football Federation (AIFF) but it doesn't seem that they can help me. I spoke to Sports Authority of India (SAI) too, but I didn't get any response," she said.
Aditi is looking at every option available, just in case the talks with West Ham for a job opportunity doesn't work out. She is even trying to get the attention of the Indian government for the resolution of the visa issue. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has earned quite a reputation helping Indians, in almost any sort of trouble abroad, on Twitter. Countless times she has pulled stranded Indians out of a tight situation, resolved passport and visa issues and put the person in touch with the Indian Embassy overseas, whenever and wherever required.
Aditi hopes that the External Affairs Minister can endorse her Tier 1 Exceptional Talent visa, an alternate form of visa which will allow her to stay in England and pursue football at any club.
"My brother started a petition online and it has got around 7,000 [10,127] signatures and a lot of people have tweeted to Sushma Swaraj, including myself, but we've not heard anything from her. The aim is to catch the government's eye and get their help."
As Aditi awaits the big meeting with West Ham, she can't help but look back at her tryst with English football. The "incredible" supports she has received from not just the West Ham Ladies' manager and players, but also the fans in the UK and back home has kept her afloat.
"I get congratulatory messages after every game, which is very motivating. To see that people value me as a player in the team and see my talent and encourage me, it's absolutely fantastic here."
Aditi also gets her fair share of attention from teammates since she became a social media sensation in India. Now that she's famous, her teammates pull her leg over it.
"I feel a little awkward because of the media buzz, my teammates joke around too, but when we're on field our focus is just on football. So it doesn't bother me that much," she said.
It's been quite a leap for Aditi, from Delhi under-19 team trials to West Ham United Ladies. She never imagined she would reach where she is, play in England and will have so many supporters. She believes it's her dedication to football that has kept her going.
"I've learnt that everything is possible if you actually follow your passions, it can change everything. Right now, my focus is to give my best in every game. Anything can happen in just a matter of few seconds or few minutes, that is what I'll take from this experience," she said.
Aditi's incredible story hasn't been short of hiccups. Not too long ago many senior players, including the captain at the West Ham United Ladies left the club, leaving Aditi, who was new to the team, in unsure waters. With many players from the first team departing, Aditi didn't know what the state of the team would be.
"It was a very difficult time. At that point you just have to think about yourself. I have to think about the reason why I came to the UK and what this opportunity of playing for West Ham means to me personally. Keeping that in mind, I made my decision to stay with West Ham. I'm very happy with the goalkeeping coach at the club and I have been improving under him, every day and every training session. That is what I've wanted, that is what's important to me and that is why I'm here. I have to be a little selfish and think about myself. You just have to keep your eye on the goal."
"For every sportsperson, there are people who say you won't be able to achieve, you've done your best and this is the limit. I knew that I had a lot of potential left in me and I could do a lot better. The good thing was I had a lot positive people around me, people who actually believed in me and my talent. I just kept them close and kept working hard. That is what's led me here," Aditi added.
If Aditi guards the goal, it's her family that has guarded her up till now. Her parents have supported her throughout and also bear her expenses in England. They have been positive through the visa troubles and her father, a government official, is doing his bit to see that work visa falls through for her. And even if Aditi doesn't get a visa, it's no way the end of the road for her.
"I spoke to my parents and discussed about what if nothing works out. We've decided that even if I don't get the work visa, I'll go to another country and continue playing football. We have considered Australia and the US as places where I can continue playing," Aditi said. "There's no point in stopping right now."
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