Kolkata Team Blurs Gender Lines on Football Field

In Kolkata, India, the Meye-Cheleder Khela team, run by the NGO Bondhu Collective, is challenging gender norms through football. The mixed-gender team includes children aged seven to 20 from Kolkata’s Kalighat red-light area and surrounding neighborhoods.

Bondhu Collective founded the team to provide a safe space for girls who faced social barriers to playing sports, and boys soon joined, inspired by their peers. The team deliberately reclaimed the Bengali phrase “Meye-Cheleder Khela”, historically used as a slur, as a statement of equality.

While talent isn’t lacking, the team struggles with limited access to playing fields, funding, and consistent coaching. The organization measures success not just in goals scored, but in the players’ ability to challenge societal expectations and claim space. They hope increased opportunities will allow the players to compete at higher levels.