Will Indian women footballers win a World Cup before the men? | Let’s Talk About Indian Football

As the FIFA World Cup 2026 wraps up, we ask the question India keeps avoiding: what’s stopping us from competing on that stage, and why do we forget football the moment the tournament ends?

In this episode, Abhinandan Sekhri sits down with Pragati Banka – India’s first and only FIFA-licensed female football agent, founder of the Equal Play Collective, and an active player in Karnataka’s State Division League – to unpack why Indian women footballers may reach a World Cup before the men, and why almost nobody is talking about it.

Pragati breaks down the brutal reality behind the promise: footballers with day jobs who need approval just to play for the national team, leagues with no official data or scouting systems, matches that aren’t even recorded, and a competition calendar so unpredictable that clubs, players, and sponsors can’t plan a season. She talks about age fraud that masks the gap between junior promise and senior performance, a system that punishes players for speaking up about basic dignity – mattresses, nutrition, pay – and the bias that kept a standout player out of the national team.

But more than a story of neglect, it’s a conversation about grit – about mothers, students, and working professionals playing for the love of the game, about grassroots change starting at home, and about what real investment in women’s football could unlock for the country.

Watch to find out what needs to change before the next big tournament.

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[00:00:00] Sting: This is a News Laundry podcast and you're listening to Let's Talk About

[00:00:11] Intro: This is Kerala

The passion is real

The fans are here

But they're not cheering for India. Why? Because India isn't at the World Cup. So if a fan base already exists for the beautiful game, why is India still so far behind? Let's try and find out. This is a News Laundry special. Let's talk about Indian football. 

Joining us in this episode is Pragati Banka.

She's India's first and only FIFA licensed agent. She also founded the [00:01:00] Equal Play Collective, a 3,000 plus member platform promoting mixed gender sports participation and allyship to reduce female dropout rates. Combining professional advocacy with personal passion, she continues to compete actively in Karnataka state division football leagues.

[00:01:18] Abhinandan: Welcome, Pragati. 

[00:01:19] Pragati Banka: Hi, Abhinandan. Thank you so much for having me. 

[00:01:21] Abhinandan: I hope I pronounced your surname correctly. 

[00:01:24] Pragati Banka: Yes, yes. You 

[00:01:25] Abhinandan: did. Great. Uh, you are of course, uh, you know, a keen sports person, but you are- a lawyer and the first and only woman in India to be FIFA licensed football agent. Is that correct? 

[00:01:40] Pragati Banka: Right.

It's been, it's been over a year, but yeah, it's since 20, uh, 25. 

[00:01:45] Abhinandan: So by now you think there would've been some more FIFA licensed football agents in India? 

[00:01:49] Pragati Banka: Um, women, I was hoping, I mean, after I got my license, there were a lot of inquiries from girls, even coaches who wanted to mentor the younger players to get into the industry.

[00:02:00] But unfortunately, uh, no one has even sat for the exam, forget clearing it. 

[00:02:05] Abhinandan: Oh my God. And what does a FIFA licensed football agent do? What are they qualified to do? 

[00:02:10] Pragati Banka: Um, so basically, uh, representing, uh, an athlete or a club or a coach. So when you, uh, hear about these player transfers that happen from one club to the other, the negotiations and terms and conditions, everything is represent, uh, done by the agent.

So the agent license wasn't really existent, uh, until 2018. And after a few years, you know, uh, like FIFA decided that, no, you need to have some accountability and some qualification process to become an agent. Otherwise, anyone could, uh, like if my brother is playing and I could become his agent, right? Uh, we have Messi's father as, as his agent, Harry Kane's brother as his agent.

So, uh, after the exam has come in, you need to be prepared with the rules and regulations of FIFA and 

[00:02:52] Abhinandan: about- So that it's just easier to coordinate terms, conditions so that it's, it's professionally organized. 

[00:02:58] Pragati Banka: Yeah, yeah. 

[00:02:59] Abhinandan: So [00:03:00] that is why you have to train as a lawyer because there must be many clauses which are extremely legal in nature or is it a requirement or does it just help if you're a lawyer like you are?

No. 

[00:03:07] Pragati Banka: Um, not really. It, it does have an advantage because, uh, it's a also an open book test, right? So as a lawyer, of course, we are also used to reading through so many documents, long documents, so going through the regulations is not really a task, but for someone who's not used to going through so many, uh, legalese, for them it could be a bit challenging, but it's still doable.

[00:03:27] Abhinandan: And your bio also says you are competing in the State Division Football League in Karnataka Can you tell me 

[00:03:34] Pragati Banka: a bit 

[00:03:34] Abhinandan: about that? 

[00:03:35] Pragati Banka: Um, so, uh, I'm playing with a club called Athena FC. 

[00:03:38] Abhinandan: Okay. 

[00:03:38] Pragati Banka: This is something we started as a community team when I moved to Bangalore from Delhi. And, uh, our team is, we have students also, we have, uh, people who are working, we have mothers who are also working and still playing football.

The idea is to, you know, uh, still channel your competitive spirit somewhere while still managing your work. 

[00:03:57] Abhinandan: Well 

[00:03:58] Pragati Banka: done. And- 

[00:03:58] Abhinandan: Well done ... 

[00:03:59] Pragati Banka: [00:04:00] still, yeah. 

[00:04:00] Abhinandan: My God, Pragati. Well, 

[00:04:02] Pragati Banka: there is- About, I want to mention our captain. She's a 55-year-old French lady. She's a mother of two kids. She's a doctor. 

[00:04:07] Abhinandan: Wow. 

[00:04:08] Pragati Banka: And she is still competing with us.

[00:04:11] Abhinandan: Damn. And here I used to get thrilled about being a 52-year-old uncle who's playing. I should eat some humble pie. So, Pragati, I have ... I mean, I don't know if you've seen many of those episodes, but, uh, everybody who I've had on the podcast consistently, while they may agree or disagree on other things, one thing they all agree on, whether it's coaches I've had, I've had people who've been administrators, I've had former managers of the Indian team.

One thing they've all agreed on is that Indian women will win a World Cup before Indian men do, because they are, you know, pound for pound, way ahead. Why do you think that is? And in spite of that, I have relatives who've played nationals, uh, women's here, and it was a disgrace how the Indian women tournament was treated as opposed to the men's tournament [00:05:00] A, why do you think Indian women have an advantage and will probably win a World Cup before the Indian men do?

And in spite of that, why do you think it's so ignored? 

[00:05:09] Pragati Banka: Um, firstly, I would say that we have better chances of qualifying for the World Cup is also because women's sport in general globally, uh, is growing, right? I mean, uh, US also has that first professional, full, uh, like fully professional league few years back.

Even the UK has started investing much more now. So the sport in itself is growing globally. So to catch up with the global, uh, quality is not as big as the gap there is in men's football, firstly. Second, of course, it's purely grit and talent and determination of the athletes. I mean, even athletes playing for, footballers playing for India at the top level, uh, don't really make enough money to sustain themselves.

Uh, for example, people playing in ISL likely can still be playing football f- uh, full-time professionally. They don't need to look for another job. But most of the Indian footballers, women, they have, they have to work in a government job, [00:06:00] and for them to even play club football or national team, like to represent the national team, they need to take approvals from their jobs.

So, for example, right now I'm working with a footballer and her, the, uh, job is not releasing her for IWL, and her main job is to play football, but- Right ... athletes are also so, like helpless, right? She has no control over whole, her own playing life. Hmm. So because the system in itself is not supporting them enough, they have to find ways to still play football, so that passion is unmatchable.

No one's playing for fame. Everyone's playing because of the love for the sport, and they want to reach the World Cup. I mean, if you would've seen the interviews of all the players for the Asian Cup as well, they had gone for Asian Cup, but everybody's aim was qualify for World Cup, qualify for World Cup.

Like, that is the clarity that they work with. 

[00:06:49] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:06:49] Pragati Banka: And, yeah, I mean, why there is no investment is a question even I, like, you know, keep answering. I mean, something as basic as IWL, it doesn't even have its own identity [00:07:00] on Instagram. Like, there are not enough promotions, there are not enough, um, there's not enough talk about it.

I mean, then, then you complain that nobody comes to watch games, but what have you done? What have you done to grow the sport? 

[00:07:10] Abhinandan: And when you say you, you're talking about the central administrators who oversee- Yeah ... football across the country? 

[00:07:17] Pragati Banka: Yeah, because it's not always fair to keep asking private parties to keep investing in sport when they don't see much returns- Hmm

unless the state which is obligated to promote the sport does it. I mean, half of the leagues in India are not even recorded. You don't have data. I mean, me as an agent, if I want to look for data, I want to scout athletes- 

[00:07:36] Abhinandan: There is no data ... 

[00:07:37] Pragati Banka: it is so difficult. There's no data. I even like- Wow ... a transfer market portal that you have for men, there's nothing like that for women globally also.

[00:07:45] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:07:46] Pragati Banka: Right. So that, that's a big challenge. So for n- right now, what happens is a club will reach out to me saying, "I need these players. I need a center back, I need a striker." Players will reach out to me saying, "I'm looking for a club." So even if I recommend someone, it's m- it's still a recommendation, right?[00:08:00] 

I mean, I'm sure there might be other players that I might not know. Sure. I might not have seen. So are we doing justice to the ecosystem? Are the right talents being 

[00:08:08] Abhinandan: scouted? Hmm. 

[00:08:09] Pragati Banka: Not really. So I think even now, we, if we dig deeper, we create a proper scouting system, at least make sure that the competitive matches, or the official matches are being recorded, uploaded somewhere where people can come and, you know, at least identify that, okay, this person is good.

We should at least give her a trial or something. So that ecosystem is lacking, and because of that, the clubs don't know how to look for players, and there are very few clubs in India who have a year-long training program. 

[00:08:38] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:08:38] Pragati Banka: So what, so grassroots is m- non-existent. 

[00:08:42] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:08:42] Pragati Banka: So, yeah. 

[00:08:44] Abhinandan: So I, I, I get that, and also, I mean, I, one of our earlier guests had said that, you know, sure, Indian football has potential, but it is a little not realistic to expect people to watch it when the quality is not [00:09:00] as high as it should be in a country like India.

And I actually did an exercise, uh, purely for this podcast. I think three or four weeks ago, there was, I think Liverpool versus Chelsea was having this, happening at the same time as, uh, Mohan Bagan versus, uh, Punjab FC. It was an Indian ISL. So I was flipping the channels and watching both, and the quality difference was not like this.

It was like this. It was ridiculous. Uh, so I, I get the logic. Having said that, the fact is that, you know, JD said in Orissa when he has grassroot tournaments happening, you know, crowds of 8 to 10,000 land up. You could not get those many people in Feroz Shah. Yeah. Uh, in Kerala, when, you know, two local clubs are playing against each other, 5,000 to 10,000 people can land up to play.

So people do watch in spite of that, that problem. But- While India does well [00:10:00] in junior level, and they have, there's data to show that, by the time you get to senior, they suddenly we are nowhere. One of the, you know, uh, reasons I've been told is because there's so much of age fraud, so the juniors who are playing India are not really junior, so that's why they do really well in junior, and suddenly when you play men's we are nowhere because those people were never young to be, juniors to begin with when they was playing.

But is there more than that when it comes to training, coaching prospects, or is it that a lot of people just fall off the map because they don't see a future in it, who could be phenomenally promising talents? 

[00:10:33] Pragati Banka: Um, so of course there are multiple factors, but this is one of the biggest factors that it's very difficult to make a career out of it.

Not just in India, globally. I mean, less than 1% of the players become, go professional. So you also need to be mentally prepared and just be prepared that w- it's okay if it doesn't work out, right? Uh, when it comes to moving on from youths to senior elite, you're also still [00:11:00] under your parents. They're taking care of your expenses, right?

Uh, like you mentioned, age fraud, it's been discussed quite a bit. Of course, they're unable to perform when they come to the senior level. But what's also lacking is the kind of mentorship and the holistic development of players that's required. I mean, you're also dealing with kids at a very crucial age.

Teaching them just football is not, like skills are not enough. You also need to, uh, guide them how to be a better person, how to grow as a person, because that's also required on field and off field. And let's say things don't work out as a footballer, you can still be, or any athlete, you can still be associated with the sport.

Sure. Not everything's gone to waste, right? You have doctors- 

[00:11:39] Abhinandan: Yeah, like you can be an agent and you can make, you can make a decent living being an agent. You can be, there's administra- Yeah ... yeah, sure. Right 

[00:11:45] Pragati Banka: Yeah, so the, I think that kind of awareness is lacking. But when you talk about the system, I think that holistic, uh, mentorship is lacking, and also very less, uh, usage of technology.

I mean, [00:12:00] the data, the data is here, AI is here. Like, there's so much that can be done with data, but not, I don't think our, uh, systems are equipped to catch up. And also, a few coaches are a little old school, so they feel that, "Okay, this might replace my job," or, "Is this trying to do my job," right? So they're a little hesitant to adopt technology, and also they have to learn for, for them to use technology, right?

So there is that resistance also with tech, which I think should be used way more for i- identifying, okay, when is an overload happening, when is... Which player has which tendency of an injury can be spotted early. And when it comes to women's football, of course, uh, hormonal changes that go through women. I mean, some coaches are awkward if you even tell them, "I can't run.

I'm on my period." So that kind of awareness, uh, is also required. 

[00:12:48] Abhinandan: I see. So let's, let's identify one or two other problems, and then let's move on- Yeah ... to what are the possible solutions you think. Um, one is you said the [00:13:00] holistic issue. One is there's not enough grassroots. Anything else specifically that you think is a solvable problem that you can identify with in a narrower kind of space so that we can attack each of these one by one like we have been doing these podcasts?

[00:13:15] Pragati Banka: Um, so like creating more pathways, creating more structured pathways, right? If a 13, 14-year footballer wants to know what is my career path, where should I go, what should I do, there should be some clarity around it at least. 

[00:13:28] Abhinandan: Right now- And for that you need experts such as yourself, agents, like who can give such advice, who can...

I mean, even the coaches I know in Delhi, they may be good coaches, but they actually don't have the worldview, the education to advise on this. Who would be the person to advise on stuff like this? 

[00:13:46] Pragati Banka: I mean, honestly, Amitand even I can advise that, oh, ideally you should do this, but is the system conducive enough to do it?

Is the system supporting your decision-making? Hmm. For example, uh, this football, [00:14:00] female footballer, Avika Singh, she's playing right now, uh, for India. But for the longest time there were, she was not getting a call back because she was not playing in India. 

[00:14:09] Abhinandan: And we are- Avika was the one who was in US college, right?

[00:14:11] Pragati Banka: Yeah, yeah. 

[00:14:12] Abhinandan: I've played with her. She's, uh, I've played here in Delhi with, I've played a game. She's amazing, yeah. 

[00:14:16] Pragati Banka: Yeah. She's solid, right? But for the longest time she didn't get an invite because she was not playing IWL. That, you know, we will consider players who are playing here. How does that make sense?

So even if you do carve out some path for you, is our system supporting it? 

[00:14:30] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:14:31] Pragati Banka: That's the biggest challenge. So you, you, you and I can sit and advise people, but the real change has to come from within the system more than- 

[00:14:37] Abhinandan: So even though she was doing so well overseas, the Indian team would refuse to try her out?

[00:14:42] Pragati Banka: Initially. Of course, after a while, the coaches also changed. They were more eager to try out, experiment with younger players. 

[00:14:49] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:14:49] Pragati Banka: And she got her chance, and she debuted, and she did well. But there are many such examples like that. So my point was that even if you try to do everything right, if the [00:15:00] ecosystem is not supporting you, it is very demoralizing.

[00:15:03] Abhinandan: Right. Okay, and, uh, now let's come to the solutions. What would you, given a white paper of these are the five things that can immediately be done to ensure Indian football gets the potential that it can actually achieve, which in my view is mind-blowing. I mean, cricket is nothing compared to what we can do with football.

[00:15:26] Pragati Banka: I mean, I think the first and foremost thing I would request and, uh, suggest is have a certain calendar for the year 

[00:15:33] Abhinandan: Hmm 

[00:15:33] Pragati Banka: Uh, be it at the national level or be it at state level, I mean- 

[00:15:36] Abhinandan: Yeah, I mean, just- ... clubs don- Sorry to cut in. Just to give our audience an idea, I'm aware of someone I spoke to in the first year of this podcast whose child was in 2024, uh, was really good and, uh, the trials were happening in th- that, in, um, Trans Yamuna, Mayur Vihar.

There's that stadium, I forget the name, where the tryouts happened for Delhi. And [00:16:00] the timing and the dates for the age group were given about, like, day after the tryouts, this evening the mail came, and that person was actually already out of the city. And he's, he wrote back, "I cannot make it back by day after.

Can I get a trial a week later?" They said, no. They said, is then... I mean, can you not give more than, like, a 36-hour notice? They said, no, it's always been like this. I was blown away. It's ridiculous. Yeah. So there's no annual calendar right now? 

[00:16:28] Pragati Banka: There's no annual calendar. You, you just have to wait and assume that, okay, every year it happens around October, so maybe this will happen around October.

But how do cl- so how do clubs do their pre-season planning, right? How do they even engage with sponsors? They don't really know when the season's gonna start. Hmm. The players don't know how to plan their calendar. You have school exams, you have college exams, you have a lot of personal commitments, but so there is no certainty, so you can't plan out your entire year.

Hmm. 

[00:16:53] Abhinandan: Okay. 

[00:16:54] Pragati Banka: And also, matches are conducted during weekdays, so you either... So the system [00:17:00] is such that you either have to play or you, or you study, and that is the worst thing you can tell an, a student athlete. Like, you should not be compromising on your education for a sport. It can always go hand-in-hand.

[00:17:11] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:17:12] Pragati Banka: I mean, you don't have to top in studies and be a, like, you know, outstanding- But you should still be 

[00:17:16] Abhinandan: educated, right. 

[00:17:17] Pragati Banka: Yeah. Yeah. So matches happen during the day- Hmm ... in blazing heat, because in the evening they give out grounds for commercial purposes. They have to make money in the evening, right? So My God.

Yeah ... morning matches are happening. So, like, kids have to choose, of course, between education and school. So like you mentioned, like, kids have to prioritize other things sometimes and drop out of sport. And if I come from a privileged background where I don't have to bother about sending money home, I have a cushion, I can take those chances.

I can even travel to a club saying, "Give me a chance. Give me a trial. If you don't like me, I'll come back." 

[00:17:51] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:17:51] Pragati Banka: But if I don't have those kind of funds, how am I suppo- I don't even have that network, I don't have that access. 

[00:17:55] Abhinandan: Yeah. How 

[00:17:56] Pragati Banka: am I even supposed to reach out to people that, "Hey, give me a chance.

[00:18:00] Watch this video"? 

[00:18:01] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:18:02] Pragati Banka: So, yeah, certain calendar of the competition calendar 

[00:18:06] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm 

[00:18:07] Pragati Banka: And actually more competitions as well. I mean, uh, I- ISL of course the whole fiasco that happened. Mm. But even IWL, there was ... It was, it is always an afterthought. I mean, uh, even after getting, if qualifying for AFC, so many promises that we will start in October.

It started in Jan. It was supposed to be for six months. They have reduced it to two phases, and teams are playing back to back. So it's even lesser time, less matches that you play in the year. Even for AFC qual- like the one, the match that happened, happened in Australia, the players had played maybe six to seven matches and three friendlies.

That's it. 

[00:18:47] Sting: Wow. 

[00:18:48] Pragati Banka: And in the friendlies also, no, no player played full 90 minutes 'cause a new coach had come, right? Amelia had come. She also had to see all the players. So they played maximum 45 minutes, and this is their two months of preparation before [00:19:00] the competition. 

[00:19:00] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:19:01] Pragati Banka: And that you could see that in the fatigue, like we have mostly cons- conceded or made mistakes in the second half towards the end of the match, because it's difficult to maintain your fitness if you've not been doing it consistently for months.

[00:19:13] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:19:14] Pragati Banka: So that certainty of calendar like dives back to all of these, uh, consequences as well. 

[00:19:22] Abhinandan: I see. And what is the quality of training that, uh, our players get? 

[00:19:28] Pragati Banka: Um, at this, uh, top level? 

[00:19:30] Abhinandan: Yeah. 

[00:19:31] Pragati Banka: At the top level it's good, uh, of course, but there is a lot of constant changes. I mean, in the last five years there have been so many coaches who keep changing every six months, every one year.

And the coaches also have a dual role. They're also coach of a club and a coach of a team. Mm-hmm. Technically it's okay. I think we can still do much better, but I, but in my opinion, I think a f- head coach of Indian national team should be a full-time coach whose entire role and responsibilities lies with the national team, and not [00:20:00] distributed between, uh, the clubs.

[00:20:02] Abhinandan: So right now- 

[00:20:03] Pragati Banka: And also there's some- ... 

[00:20:04] Abhinandan: our national coach also has the responsibility of coaching a particular club. 

[00:20:09] Pragati Banka: Yeah. 

[00:20:09] Abhinandan: So isn't there a conflict of interest? It's always- Would that person not want to coach, recruit people from their club? I mean, is- 

[00:20:16] Pragati Banka: Yeah. So, so there have been instances, not with the current coach, but I w- I don't wanna take names, but the previous coaches, where they have threatened players that, "If you don't play for my club, I will not call you up for the national team."

[00:20:28] Abhinandan: Well, I've heard of that happening even in the boys' category, but- Yeah ... I mean, of course- Yeah ... one, one hears of things like this. I see. Uh- 

[00:20:36] Pragati Banka: And also- 

[00:20:37] Abhinandan: Yeah, please go ahead ... 

[00:20:38] Pragati Banka: uh, just to add, I mean, players, uh, in IWL, the top players will still get paid maybe in lakhs for the entire season. 

[00:20:46] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:47] Pragati Banka: Very few get a double-digit lakh, otherwise it's very minimal.

But IWL2, most players are not even getting paid, even if they get an oppor- So the, uh, opportunity to play is given as a favor. Like, [00:21:00] "I have done you such a big favor that I'm letting you play for my club." Mauka. That in itself should be enough. Mauka 

[00:21:04] Abhinandan: milega, playing. So 

[00:21:05] Pragati Banka: if I complain about, yeah, if I complain about better nutrition, if I com- Players don't even have a mattress to sleep on.

They're sleeping on a wooden cot. 

[00:21:13] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:21:13] Pragati Banka: And if they complain, they're not given playing time because they're called troublemakers, that, "No one is complaining. Why, why are you the only one who's complaining?" So even if you speak up, you face consequences. 

[00:21:25] Abhinandan: I see. Now, one of course is clearly, you know, at the top level one needs some sort of effective, efficient leadership who's actually interested in football.

I don't know if we have that right now, and if that's even on the horizon. I hope people who are watching this can kind of push to make that happen. But at the grassroot level, how do you get that going? I mean, I have had people who suggested just get CSR, get a million footballs and just distribute them to kids across the country in villages on grounds.

Let them just get a ball to [00:22:00] start playing with. Once they start ... Because football is definitely a more addictive a game than cricket. Yeah. And there is data to prove that. Of like half a dozen countries in the world play cricket, no one's interested in playing cricket. It's, uh, compared to football, it's a terribly boring sport.

Let's, let's be honest about it. Mm-hmm. Just because we are the world champions doesn't mean it's actually a sport that anyone's interested in. How do you get that grassroot level football going? 

[00:22:24] Pragati Banka: So right now, like when we, when we're trying, uh, I'm trying to set up an academy with one of my athletes, Aditi Chauhan, and what we realized that with women's football in grassroots, firstly, there are not enough academies who cater only to girls.

Uh, mostly kids are going, uh, and training with other boys, which is okay till under 13. But if you're the only girl in 25 boys, it's not the best environment for you to grow and develop. 

[00:22:49] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:22:50] Pragati Banka: Uh, but I think the, there are not enough girls playing sport in the first place. Right. So playing football comes much later.

So I think first we [00:23:00] have to get to the ground level, engage with schools, colleges, right? And make sure that is where, like, uh, girls are encouraged to play sport. I come from an all-girls school, and we had no semblance of any sport for, like for 14 years of my life. I started playing sport when I was in college, and I'm from Orissa.

Orissa is such, like, you know, renowned for sport, but there was nothing. All my guy friends were encouraged to play sport. It's not like they stopped women, but it just didn't come to that thought that, okay, we should also encourage girls to play. So I think that kind of change firstly needs to come where we get more active, and not just kids.

Kids learn from us, right? We are, we need to also be active ourselves and as, as an adults. They watch us and learn. So if they see their parents active, they see their parents playing a sport, it definitely makes a difference on their kid. At Equal Play Collective, we've had pa- uh, parents who are in their mid-30s now coming to learn the sport because they wanna play with their kids.

They wanna- Mm ... that's how they wanna spend quality time with them. So it's never too late. I [00:24:00] mean, and, and that's, I think that's how you can bring about a genuine change, starting from each home, and then maybe let them choose a sport, and hopefully one of them is football. But, uh, yeah, that's what I feel for grassroots.

Firstly, more awareness for participation, and then c- creating those safe spaces for them, like girls only academies where they are also sensitive towards how you talk to girls. 

[00:24:24] Abhinandan: Sure. 

[00:24:24] Pragati Banka: I mean, I've seen coaches say boys like 

[00:24:27] Abhinandan: No, I've s- We can't be saying these- Not just coaches, but that's a problem with our society.

I've seen educated people saying that to their children- Yeah ... stop playing like a girl. Uh, how did you get into sport? You said you started playing in your college, right? And now you're doing so much in sport, your career is sport. Like, what was your story? Why, why so late? How? 

[00:24:46] Pragati Banka: Uh, so I, I grew up with two, two brothers, so I had some exposure to sport.

I used to play recreationally outside my house, uh, you know, in a park with a, in a badminton court. And until I reached Pune, I used to think badminton is an outdoor sport, [00:25:00] 'cause that's what I had played. 

[00:25:01] Intro: Hmm. 

[00:25:01] Pragati Banka: And, uh, when I joined college, I w- I, I am an out social, like, a very social person. I went out, I wanted to try things, and I just tried out for the badminton team, and I got in.

Uh, and I started traveling for inter, inter-college tournaments, and I saw that we only had a basketball women's team and a badminton women's team, that's it. So I was like, "Okay, let's do something about it." So I started playing volleyball with the boys team, and, uh, I first I learned how to play for two months.

Hmm. And then we did a tryout, and we got players coming in, so we started a, a volleyball team. Then I also started doing athletics, and, uh, one of our football captains, he saw me. He's from Tanzania, he was studying in Symbiosis, and, uh, he saw me run, and he felt that, "Oh, you should play football. You have acceleration and some traits."

So yeah, it was mostly through my guy friends only who encouraged me to take up the sport. 

[00:25:52] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:25:53] Pragati Banka: And I've just not looked back after that. But after I started playing football, all other sports, you know, took a backseat. 

[00:25:59] Abhinandan: Yeah. 

[00:25:59] Pragati Banka: And [00:26:00] I be- 

[00:26:01] Abhinandan: That's why they call it the beautiful game. Yeah, 

[00:26:03] Pragati Banka: yeah. So 

[00:26:03] Abhinandan: Pragati, now give us some tips as a foot- as a sports professional, as someone who actually is involved in recruiting, advising, you know, spotting talent, representing talent What is it that people like you look for in players?

And what information, suggestions, advice can you give to youngsters watching this to better their game, to better their career, or just to help them in their sporting life? 

[00:26:34] Pragati Banka: Um, firstly, to, like, what recruiters look for or, you know, what can help in scouting, identifying is firstly, I don't think just videos are enough.

[00:26:43] Abhinandan: Mm-hmm. 

[00:26:44] Pragati Banka: Highlights of a player is enough because of course if someone has shared their own highlights, it's going to be the best moments of their game. But you also have to see beyond that about, for example, in football, uh, how, how does a player behave when they m- commit a mistake? How do they behave when the player commits a mistake?

What [00:27:00] are they doing off the ball? So the work rate. So I think these things are seen from a live match and not online. So you can identify that, okay, this person has some skills, let's call them for a match and then test them out. But right now, a lot of times people assume that, oh, just highlights videos are enough to, you know, understand how a player can play.

Even players feel that, that

To know. Second, I feel that you need to put yourself more out there because the system has not provided that platform, right, of data. Mm-hmm. So how do you make sure you, that you are still ... someone's watching. If anybody wants to look for you, they can still look for, watch your videos. We've had random players, kids playing in their gullies and killing it, and then they get viral, and then they get, you know, a scholarship from some academy.

These things have been happening and it's quite possible. 

[00:27:53] Intro: Mm-hmm. 

[00:27:54] Pragati Banka: So if the, your leagues are not recorded, you, if you can invest in getting someone to record [00:28:00] your games or just ask your parent to record your game, right? Keep clips, keep clips, and don't hesitate to reach out to people. I mean, you might reach out to 10, 5 might not respond to you, 3 might not be willing to help you, but 2 will.

So, you know, be... Like, I didn't grow up playing football, I didn't grow up playing sport, but everything has been because I was shameless enough to just go up to people and talk, "How did you do this? How did you do that?" I didn't know about becoming a football agent, but this is all through conversations and just being curious about what's happening, what's happening, how do lawyers work, how do agents work, how do athletes work?

So I think that way, just be curious, be shameless, be out there, put yourself out there. But ma- also, like we already discussed it, do not compromise on education. I mean- Yeah ... you see athletes... Yeah. 

[00:28:48] Abhinandan: That's something I've actually got from a lot of people who have actually- Yeah ... advised people at the highest level Um- 

[00:28:55] Pragati Banka: Because like now if you see athletes, they have a very short shelf life.

Mm. [00:29:00] Let's say if they don't get injured, they still play out till they can. What after? 

[00:29:03] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:29:05] Pragati Banka: So that's, that's the question, because you don't think about your afterlife when you're still playing. You're focused on playing. 

[00:29:10] Abhinandan: Mm. 

[00:29:11] Pragati Banka: And your sponsorships will also die down if you are getting sponsored and, you know, if you're not a cricketer.

They will die down once you stop playing. How will you still be relevant? 

[00:29:20] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:29:20] Pragati Banka: Not just being a content creator. Of course, now everyone has to be a content creator- ... at some point. 

[00:29:26] Abhinandan: Right. Right. 

[00:29:27] Pragati Banka: Yeah. 

[00:29:27] Abhinandan: And if someone wants to pursue your line of work of becoming an agent or a FIFA certified, uh, you know, agent, what is the path to that?

[00:29:41] Pragati Banka: Um, firstly, educate yourself with the rules and regulations, the laws, understand the processes behind it. Second would be to network heavily because this entire profession is about who do you know, what can you... Your job is to get things done. Hmm. Be it talk to clubs, be it crisis management, be it a [00:30:00] bad PR that has happened.

It's a lot of being quick on your feet and who do you know. I, "Okay, this club I can get you a trial." Or maybe let's say if I have a good in with the club, I can be like, "At least give this player a trial," you know? And if they, if they believe me, they, they think that, "Okay, Banka always sends me good players, let's check this other player out."

[00:30:18] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:30:18] Pragati Banka: So it's very, very people skill oriented, so you have to be good with your people skills. And of course, knowl- understanding of the sport. Uh- 

[00:30:27] Abhinandan: And having a law degree does help. It just helps you negotiate and- Mm-hmm ... and, and navigate that place better, right? Because we send- Because- ... all our contracts to lawyers anyway.

[00:30:34] Pragati Banka: Yeah. And also the thing is not everybody can afford a lawyer, right? And the thing is, the profession of law is also looked at in such a way that we are just vultures trying to take your money away. 

[00:30:43] Abhinandan: Hmm. 

[00:30:44] Pragati Banka: So people don't really see the value of hiring a lawyer until something bad happens. 

[00:30:48] Abhinandan: Right. 

[00:30:48] Pragati Banka: So instead of preventing something, you're, you end up doing damage control.

Hmm. So that's why a lot of times now the work that I do initially was pro bono. I still do pro bono work, but in the end it's like, but if you, if I [00:31:00] help you get some money then you pay me. But at least let's... Like for example, fight, uh, filing a case in AIFF for unpaid salaries. Hmm. They don't really have the funds, so the clubs take advantage of players who can't pay that.

"Okay, you do what you want. We'll see what you do." 

[00:31:14] Abhinandan: Right. Oh, wow. 

[00:31:16] Pragati Banka: Yeah. 

[00:31:17] Abhinandan: You're doing really amazing work, Pragati. Uh- Thank you ... fantastic talking to you. Uh, more power to you. Hopefully this series can maybe move the needle in a direction that makes football of higher quality- Yeah ... in India, a profession worth a career, worth pursuing because we have so much of talent.

Uh, and thank you for your time. 

[00:31:41] Pragati Banka: Thank you so much for taking out speaking to me, Abhinandan. I mean, I've been watching News Laundry for a while, and this is, this is a big proud moment for me to be speaking to you. No, 

[00:31:49] Abhinandan: no, it's, it's a privilege and a pleasure of ours. Thank you so much for being a part of this series.

[00:31:53] Pragati Banka: Thank you.

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