Women’s football: Rangers Women FC sign India International Bala Devi
By the creator of this work [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons
Indian women’s footballer Bala Devi has created history by joining Scottish club Rangers Women FC.
Bala Devi joins the club on an 18-month-deal after a successful spell on trial at Rangers in November.
The 29-year-old came into limelight last year in 2019 Indian Women’s League as she scored 26 goals in seven games for Manipur Police Department.
Bala Devi boasts of three SAFF Women’s Championship titles (2010, 2014, 2016) and was named the AIFF Women’s Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015.
Bala becomes the first Indian woman to become a professional footballer anywhere in the world. Also becoming Ranger’s first Asian international footballer.
🆕📝 #RangersFC are delighted to announce the signing of @IndianFootball attacker Bala Devi, subject to international clearance.
➡️ https://t.co/Z6qojndUTv pic.twitter.com/A3QkfqAduS— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) January 29, 2020
Bala has served as national team captain for which she has scored 52 goals in 58 appearances since 2010. She is the top international goal scorer in the South Asian region.
Speaking of her delight at signing for Rangers, Bala said, ” To play my football in Europe with one of the biggest clubs in the worlds something I could never have dreamed of. I hope my move to Rangers serves as an example to all the women footballers back home in India who dream of taking up the sport professionally.”
“I am looking forward to making the most of the top-class facilities and coaching and I am certain I will benefit immensely from the standard of training and competition. I am very grateful to Amy McDonald, the coaching staff and the entire management at Rangers for believing in me.”
Amy McDonald, Women’s and Girl’s Football Manager said, ” We are thrilled to welcome Bala to Rangers. She is an exciting signing on so many levels.”
“Bala is a playmaker who likes to play as a number 10 and we believe she will contribute goals and assists to the team.”
“She will provide us with an attacking threat and a versatility that we can utilise to our benefit going into the 2020 season.”
