Inspiration
All of 26, and she is a FIFA referee!
Nothing stopped her as this young woman pursued her dreams. She fought for it and reached where many like her can only to be! Read her story…
Dreams, there is no end to them. Some come true, some don’t. Some come true after a lot of hard work. Like that of Rupa Devi from Tamil Nadu. Rupa, who had a dream, who worked hard for it, almost achieved it, strove for it… and then achieved way more than what she had dreamt.
And now, 26-year-old Rupa Devi from Dindigul is the Tamil connection to Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Selected by FIFA to officiate at international matches, she is the first woman from Tamil Nadu as referee.
Although Rupa Devi had dreamt of being a football player, but thanks to a twist of fate, she ended up becoming a referee, though an international one. Soccer was always Rupa’s dream; she started playing in class 6 for her alma mater, St. Joseph’s Girls’ School. As she grew, so did her love for the game and she began playing in tournaments at the district level. She was soon accepted by the Dindigul Football Federation, which also sponsored her game and education. She continued with the sport even in college; only giving up when her job as a teacher after graduating did not allow her to continue playing. But she soon resigned and took up a job as a physical education teacher to stay close to her love.
But life took another turn soon enough. Rupa lost her parents and also the game that gave her life breath. “My parents were my support system,” she reflects. “After they died, I was alone at home, my sister was married and my brother was out working.”
“Our financial condition was bad,” she continues. “Though I supported myself through matches and the association and friends helped out, it was not enough.” And then, there were no tournaments for women at the national level from 2010 for two years, she informs. It was then that her mentors advised her to become a referee. “They said once you get injured you won’t be able to become a referee also,” Rupa remembers talking of how she went over to the other side.
Officiating at matches in the country, and then gradually travelling outside India, she decided to take a shot at the FIFA examination. She cleared it in January of this year. Beaming happily, she says, “It was completely unexpected. I am very happy and all the credit goes to the football association and my friends, who have been so supportive.”