AVANI NAGAR
“To every little girl or differently abled person who loves sport and is ready to give themselves to it: please, go for it. If you believe you can be the best at something or have the talent, fight for it. Don’t let obstacles hold you back.”
Meet Avani Nagar, a professional-turned-amateur footballer with a deep passion for sports. After completing her MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and building a career in the financial services industry, she decided to reconnect with her love for sports and enrolled in AISTS India. Avani is now working to pivot her career into the sports industry, aiming to give back to the field that has given her so much.
AVANI’S EXPOSURE TO SPORT
“I never saw women’s sports growing up. There was limited access to televised women’s matches. One day, I saw a women’s cricket match between India and England on a regional television channel, and everything changed. That moment, realising there was even a small chance I could play sports for a living, completely blew my mind.”
CHANGING SOCIETY’S MINDSET
“Sport came into my life fairly early. Watching and playing has always been part of my life. Even though I had played different sports since childhood, football wasn’t the first one I picked up. My introduction to football came by chance through chess. While chess was challenging, watching the physical and mental determination in football is what attracted me. After eight hours of school, kids would stay back and play the sport with such zeal that it made me wonder what it took. One kick was all it took to convince both me and the coach that I was made for football. Even in football, I took up the role of goalkeeper, challenging not only my mindset, but also society’s.”
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE ON PARA SPORT
“The biggest challenge that most para-athletes face is being seen as ‘not good enough’. Even if the athlete competes at the highest level of the sport, they are not considered as skilled as able-bodied athletes. What people need to realise is that the same amount of hard work, practice, dedication, time, and effort is required – if not more. Participation in and preparation for international events isn’t recreational; it’s pursued with the same competitive spirit as by any other sportsperson.
If there is progress in changing such mindsets, differently abled athletes could play without mental baggage, and this would encourage more talented athletes to come forward and play.”
LEVELLING THE FIELD IN SPORT
“My thought process with respect to “Levelling the Field” is about providing a level playing field and addressing the gaps between where people currently are and where they need to be to reach equality. For example, a young girl in rural India may have talent but lacks infrastructure, coaching, and opportunities, while a young boy in urban India with the same talent has access to all these resources. If these variables are equalised and compared, we would see a much stronger pipeline of talent.”
