Manipur’s Hidden Football Hero: She Never Played the Game Yet Built a Football Legacy in Manipur

Football has always had a heartbeat in India. From the packed maidans of Kolkata to the muddy grounds of Manipur, the sport has survived on pure passion. Ironically, while the men’s game often struggles for consistency on the international stage, the Indian women’s football team has steadily built a stronger reputation in Asian competitions, inspiring a new generation of girls to lace up their boots. But long before women’s football began gaining structured recognition, long before leagues and televised matches, a quiet revolution was already unfolding in a small village in Manipur. It began not with a professional coach or a government scheme, but with a shy geography teacher who simply refused to watch her girls give up on their futures. Her name is Laibi Phanjoubam.A Girl Who Dared to GraduateIn the quaint village of Andro in Manipur, education for girls was never guaranteed. Many were married off early, their aspirations folded neatly into domestic responsibilities. In such an environment, Laibi Phanjoubam becoming the first woman from her village to graduate college was not just an achievement; it was a statement. She returned to Andro as a geography teacher, soft-spoken and barely four feet tall. No one could have predicted that this quiet educator would one day reshape the destiny of hundreds of girls. The 1980s were turbulent years in Manipur. Political unrest and social instability were influencing the youth. Boys were drifting toward uncertainty. Girls, meanwhile, remained bound by tradition and limited opportunity. Laibi saw danger in both silence and stagnation. She understood that if young minds were not given purpose, they would find it elsewhere or lose it entirely. She decided to act.The Birth of a Dream: AMMA Football ClubLaibi had never played football herself. She had no coaching degree, no sporting background, and no blueprint. What she had was conviction. In response to the growing unrest and shrinking dreams of young girls, she founded the Andro Mahila Mandal Association Football Club better known as AMMA FC. It was not just a sports club; it was a social movement disguised as football training. The idea was simple: give girls a field to run on and a reason to believe in themselves. Convincing families was not easy. Football was seen as a boys’ game. Girls were expected to stay within defined boundaries. But Laibi went door to door, speaking to parents, promising them that their daughters would be safe, disciplined, and focused. Slowly, a handful of girls showed up. Then more followed.More Than a GameRunning a football club in a remote village is not romantic it is expensive and exhausting. There were no sponsors in the beginning, no proper grounds, and no equipment. Laibi invested her own salary as a teacher. After retirement, she continued to sustain the club by weaving traditional Manipuri textiles and managing a small farm. Her life became a cycle of farming, weaving, mentoring, and managing young athletes. But AMMA FC was never just about scoring goals. Inside the club, girls learned computer skills. They were trained in weaving and sericulture. They were encouraged to earn, to manage money, and to build identities beyond marriage proposals. Breaking Boundaries, One Match at a TimeToday, AMMA FC is officially recognized by the All Manipur Football Association—a milestone that validates decades of grassroots effort. Laibi’s girls have traveled across India to play tournaments in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Karnataka. Many of them had never stepped outside their village before joining the club. Through football, they saw cities, airports, stadiums and a version of themselves that was fearless. Perhaps the most poetic irony is that Laibi herself has never stepped out of Andro. Yet her dream has traveled across the country through her players. A Lesson Beyond SportLaibi Phanjoubam’s story forces us to rethink the power of sport in India. Football, especially in the Northeast, is not merely recreation; it is resistance, identity, and aspiration. At a time when conversations about women’s empowerment often revolve around policies and statistics, AMMA FC shows what empowerment looks like in daily practice. It looks like muddy shoes drying outside small homes. It looks like a retired teacher weaving late into the night to fund travel expenses. It looks like girls who now introduce themselves not as someone’s future wife, but as a footballer. And perhaps that is the most powerful victory of all. In Andro, football did not just produce players. It produced possibility. And that possibility began with one woman who believed that even in a small village, dreams deserve a field to run on.