From Field Hockey To Football

Kimberly Miranda, India

Goal Click and the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) teamed up to tell the inside story of KNVB WorldCoaches programme in India, through the eyes of local WorldCoach Kimberly Miranda in Mumbai.

KNVB WorldCoaches is based on the Dutch football philosophy that children learn to play while having fun. WorldCoaches are local community coaches educated to organise football activities in a way that contributes to fostering personal development, health and social cohesion for children and youth from disadvantaged backgrounds. KNVB has educated more than 15,000 WorldCoaches worldwide, of which a quarter are women. 

KNVB WorldCoaches has been active in India since 2006, when Indian NGO Magic Bus requested the KNVB to educate their coaches so that they can better enhance their impact on youth participants. More than 250 local coaches were educated by the KNVB through the “Coach-the-Coach approach” (the original name of the WorldCoaches programme until 2009). In 2018 an agreement was signed with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for further cooperation in the field of coaching education.

Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your current football life?

My name is Kimberly Miranda and I am from Mumbai in India. I am an AFC (Asian Football Confederation) C-License certified football coach, currently working with an educational institute in Mumbai as their Sports Manager and also currently coaching an U12 boys’ team in Mumbai. 

I am also a basic level futsal coach and a Match Commissioner with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which includes working on national championships, the national women's league, and state leagues. ​​A Match Commissioner is a match official who is appointed and entrusted by the organising body to supervise the correct organisation of a match and for ensuring that the competition regulations are observed. 

I have been a WorldCoach with the KNVB since 2010. A few years ago, I also started delivering life skills lessons at various courses with the KNVB WorldCoaches programme in India and abroad.

What has been your football journey up until now? 

Football just happened to me. I had never thought of doing anything in football. I used to be a field hockey player. I was sent by my hockey coach for under 19 trials for the state football team. I was quite new to football and did not know the complete rules but managed to get selected for the team. The only reason that I was sent to get trained in football was to represent my college team, not get selected for the state team. But little did my coach know that I would get selected and go ahead to represent my state team. Not many were happy that I was playing football, as they wanted me to focus only on hockey.

I gave up playing hockey and started playing football as there were more games and all my friends were playing in local clubs. For hockey there were barely any tournaments and I was enjoying football more, so I was more than happy to play more of the sport.

After completing my education, I started working for an NGO in Mumbai that used to do Sports and Development. While with them I got connected to the KNVB and travelled to the Netherlands in 2008 to participate in the International Coaching course in Zeist. I credit everything that I know and have done in football to the KNVB. Their passion, interest and dedication is unmatchable.

Since then, I have coached NGOs, clubs, school teams, state teams, and became a WorldCoach, until 2019 when I stopped coaching and became a Match Commissioner with the All India Football Federation.

What did you try to show with the photos? Was there any wider meaning?

These photos were taken at places where I have either officiated matches as a Match Commissioner or co-instructed WorldCoaches training sessions in Mumbai, Kerala, and Nepal. I wanted to show my football life and everything that inspires me in my life.

I showed a WorldCoaches training session at the Cooperage Football Ground in Mumbai in December 2022. That pitch is very special to me as it was the place I watched a lot of top level football in Mumbai as a kid. It is also the pitch where I was selected for the first time for the Under 19 State team in 2002.

I also took photos of the legendary Johan Neeskens doing what he does best with all the humility in the world. He is one of the most humble and down to earth legends. It is amazing to watch him share his knowledge and experience with such passion every single time I watch him on the field.

There are photos from the National Football Championship that I officiated as a Match Commissioner. There is a very powerful photo taken a few minutes before kick-off. I tried to capture the emotions of the officials and of the players. It is the most beautiful moment before a match as it is also a time where everything is unpredictable. 

In one photo you will see a young boy with folded hands as his teammate is about to take a penalty kick. He was literally praying with his eyes closed and it was a beautiful moment. It shows that football is more than just a sport to be played or a form of entertainment. It has a deeper meaning and means much more than just those things to a lot of people. Hence, it is rightly called 'The Beautiful Game'.

Why is football important for your community?

Playing football is like an escape from the routine for many. It keeps them out of trouble and teaches a lot of life skills that are not taught in classrooms but can be only learnt through sport and being on field.

What role does football play in Indian society?

Until a decade or two ago there was not much to speak about in terms of football, but over the years football has definitely managed to capture the heart and soul of the cricket-crazy Indian society. It definitely has become more accessible. More and more kids are playing football today, including a lot of little girls.

What does football mean to you? What ambitions do you have for the future?

Everything that I am, I owe it to the sport. From not having a direction over what I really wanted to do in life to making a career out of football. It has definitely helped in giving me a direction and purpose in life. It is such a joy when I deliver life skill lessons during sessions when I am on courses.

Officiating matches as a Match Commissioner is really something that I enjoy. Hopefully I can make it big as a Match Commissioner and work for the AFC or FIFA. Combining football and life skills is also something I am very passionate about and look forward to more and more courses, reaching out to more coaches and more children.

What impact has the WorldCoaches programme had on you?

The WorldCoaches programme has made me a more confident and empathetic person. It has shaped me in becoming the person I have become today.

The WorldCoaches programme is a very unique programme. Not many people understand that life skills lessons can be delivered through a football practice session. But when we do that in front of them and they watch how the entire session unfolds, they are able to relate to those sessions in real life outside the football field. It is amazing and is like putting the final pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. For me it is a very satisfying feeling when people understand the concept of delivering life skills through football related activities. The feeling of having the ability to reach out to thousands of children through their coaches is very empowering for me.

It is not only because of the content of the programme but also the people associated with the programme. They are ensuring that more and more coaches are able to be a part of the WorldCoaches. There are so many of them who have inspired me and keep inspiring me.

Every time I am on a course I am amazed by the stories of the participants, about their lives and how they wish to make changes in their communities through football. There is always so much passion and love for their sport and when they are able to connect it with life skills, I do not think that there can be a better feeling than that. There is so much to take away and I believe that this has created positive changes in my life.

How do the children that you train benefit from playing football?

Besides more playing time, the children learn valuable life lessons. We start our training sessions at 6.30am three times a week. This itself teaches them discipline as they have to wake up early, so they must sleep early. Besides this we speak about empathy, as there are kids of different levels playing on the same team. They become more responsible, as they must come in the right attire and gear for training, hence they must ensure they have packed accordingly for training. They also learn about celebrating wins but also accepting defeat with dignity.

In our sessions, children are given real life examples and situations where they themselves are able to connect. These days children are under tremendous pressure for better grades. Throughout our sessions I talk about maintaining a balance of everything in life. While education is very important, we talk about how being involved in sports can benefit the body and most importantly the mind, thus improving their focus and concentration while studying. They learn to take ownership and maintain a right balance in football and studies. They are also made aware of the decisions that they can make which will benefit them in the long run.

What are the opportunities for women and girls to play football in India?

There are plenty of opportunities for women and girls to play football. In Mumbai itself there must be between 10-20 football clubs where girls can go and play football. There are also different levels of competitions for us to participate in. These days clubs are even paying women footballers to play for their clubs which was not possible a few years ago. Of course, they cannot really make a living out of it yet, but it is a start and in the coming time things will be changing for sure. There are also a few government bodies like the Railways and Armed Forces providing employment opportunities for women footballers.

What do you think the future looks like for football in India? What do you want to change?

Football is growing at a good pace in India. It has become more accessible than it ever was. There are kids playing football in every corner in the country today. The future is definitely something to look forward to.

I would like to change the mindset that women are not able administrators. I would like to see more women in leadership roles in football.