Aditi Chauhan on retirement plans, time at West Ham United, and Indian women's football
On Wednesday, the 32-year-old thought it to be the perfect time to hang up her gloves and announce retirement from professional football.
'There have been multiple factors that have influenced the decision. It's been challenging to play while trying to secure my future without the right infrastructure and ecosystem around me. At some point, you ask yourself, 'How long can I be doing this?' and 'Should I be doing this?'. For an answer to that, lately [it] was, 'maybe not anymore',' she told Sportstar, a day after calling time on her 17-year career.
Having earned 57 caps with the Indian national team, Aditi's final appearance with the Blue Tigresses came in a friendly against Nepal in February 2023, soon after which she was sidelined by her second ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) injury. She suffered her first ACL injury in 2017 during her time spent with English side West Ham Ladies (now West Ham United women's team).
In the 2024-25 Indian Women's League season—her final one—Aditi helped newly-promoted Sribhumi FC end the campaign with a creditable third-place finish while keeping three clean sheets. It was during the season that the seasoned custodian realised it was time for the young guns to take it from here.
In the 2024-25 Indian Women's League season – her final one – Aditi (second from right) helped newly-promoted Sribhumi FC end the campaign with a creditable third-place finish. | Photo Credit: Aditi Chauhan@Instagram
Lessons from England
During her B.Com Honours days at Delhi University (DU), Aditi was part of the DU girls' football team, which was taken to New Zealand for an exposure trip. That's when she discovered the world of sports that's beyond the pitch.
'I wanted to stay involved in sports, even after I stopped playing football,' she recalled. It didn't take long for her to leave the world of commerce behind to pursue a post-graduate degree in sports management at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.
'The whole experience of living abroad alone, trying to figure out different things, studying, then ending up at West Ham; that was all through my effort, curiosity, and passion,' Aditi added. In 2015, she became the first Indian woman to play league football in England after she joined West Ham, a third-division side then.
In 2015, Aditi (extreme right) became the first Indian woman to play league football in England after she joined West Ham, a third-division side then. | Photo Credit: Aditi Chauhan@Instagram
The couple of years spent in London, juggling football and a part-time job to keep visa issues at bay, gave her a unique perspective of what a professional system looked like and the kind of ecosystem a player needed around them to excel.
Future of Indian women's football
Aditi also acknowledged how opportunities to play abroad have become more accessible. 'The talent was always there. There's more attention being given to women's football now. They realise the talent that can play in Europe and professional clubs. It's great to see these players step out of their comfort zone and test themselves.'
Some of these players, like Manisha Kalyan and Somya Guguloth, to name a few, were part of the Indian team which qualified for next year's AFC Women's Asian Cup. Aditi, who was part of the 2022 Asian Cup squad which had to withdraw from the tournament due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the team, stressed the importance of having senior players in the group.
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'Young players are important, but you can't discount what seniors bring. There were six or seven players in that team which beat Thailand, who were with us during the 2022 Asian Cup. This is the result of the effort that was put in back then. Yes, we want to encourage and support the youngsters, but when the time came, it was the likes of Sangita [Basfore], Manisha, Soumya, Sanju, Panthoi [Chanu] who performed. They became the core of the team. Youngsters should be able to compete and earn their spot; it shouldn't be handed out to them.'
Aditi also hoped that the plan laid out by the All India Football Federation would be executed perfectly to aid the national team and prepare for competition that is 'definitely going to be tougher' in Australia.
Retirement plans
Much of Aditi's time post-retirement will be dedicated to running the She Kicks Football Academy, an initiative she founded in 2018 to strengthen women's football in the country from the grassroots level.
'We want to put a system in place, have the right ecosystem, and get people together to support the player. We also want to emphasise and bring in technology and science. I think these are important things that will play a huge role in our bigger objective,' she explained.
Broadcasting also remains an avenue she would like to dabble in, but coaching seems to be something that's not on her cards just yet. 'I have done my coaching licenses – AFC C Diploma and Goalkeeping Level One. I'm keeping that option open as well. But let's see if it might be too soon to get back on the field again. That might take some time,' Aditi concluded.
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