New Delhi, Jul 8: Football coach Ravi Kumar Punia, who is also working with Indian Women’s League side HOPS FC, is confident that after securing qualification for the AFC Women’s Asia Cup 2026 in Australia, the national team is going to qualify for the Women’s FIFA World Cup in the coming years.

Punia, who is working at the very grassroots of Indian women’s football, has coached the Dadra and Nagar Haveli team to glory at the Junior Girl’s National Football Championship (NFC) and led the Haryana senior women’s side to the runner-up spot at the 2023-34 Senior Women’s NFC.

Having spent most of his coaching career working with the talent pool in Indian women’s football, Punia spoke to IANS on how the senior women’s team scripted history and the impact of head coach Crispin Chhetri.

"They have completed the Indian Women’s League second tier. Indian Arrows qualified for the senior team with a small group of Under-17 girls. Since the IWL started, the number of matches has increased—with games in IWL and the senior nationals—giving them a solid season.

"In this tournament, we have Crispin Chettri, the coach of Odisha FC. He was also the head coach of Odisha’s IWL team and is well-connected with the players. He knows their playing styles, having seen them firsthand during the tournament.

"This qualification is a small step, but it's not the end. We are aiming for the World Cup. I am 201% sure we will qualify in the women’s category within the next 3–4 years, based on how they’re performing now,” Ravi Kumar Punia told IANS.

With a ‘play to win attitude', an attribute the coach believes he got from his home state of Haryana, Punia plays a counter-attacking style of football, with 4-3-3 as his preferred formation.

After injuries hampered his playing days, Punia opened up on the difficulty he had accepting that he needed to move into coaching. "It is very difficult for every sportsman to shift their profession because they can’t accept it. I still don’t accept it and continue playing in the local Rajasthan League to this day, despite having several injuries; it was very difficult, but I still did it," he added.

After suffering a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury, Ravi shifted his focus to coaching. He went on to reveal the path which saw him shift into women's football and talked about the relentless grind from coaching different teams, as it does not allow him to get an off-season.

"I started coaching after my ACL injury in Bangalore. I recovered for about 2–2.5 months. Then, the Dadar and Nagar Haveli team called me for the Santosh Trophy, where I joined the senior men’s team as assistant coach.

"After one match, the secretary asked me to take charge of the girls' team. We won one match and lost two, but I requested a proper camp. He agreed, and with that preparation, we became champions of the Under-17 Nationals in Assam, Guwahati—the first time Dadar and Nagar Haveli participated and won.

"After that, I joined Rajasthan United as a coach. Then came opportunities from Haryana’s sub-junior team and from HOPS FC. Gradually, I began working with both state teams and clubs. For the past four years, I’ve consistently coached in the sub-junior, junior, and senior women's nationals. After nationals, I move straight into the IWL—there’s no real off-season," said Punia.

In the 2024-25 season, Ravi Kumar Punia could not be part of HOPS because he was involved in the National Games but he joined Rajasthan United as an assistant coach.

He will return to the HOPS dugout in the coming season and is adamant his team will be giving it their all to win the Indian Women’s League.

"It’s not possible to perform at the top level every time—there are ups and downs. Last year’s winners finished second-last this time. But as HOPS FC coach, I can assure you we’re going all out. We’re aiming for the championship. We’re signing good players, including national-level players, and we’ll give our best to win," he concluded.

(IANS)

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