MP coach who took loans to build football team leads girls to 5-0 rout of Punjab in Jhabua C’ship

Bhopal: He staked his all, even putting his personal goodwill on the line to secure small loans to build his dream team. Repaying the faith that coach Param Asvar had in his Powerpuff Girls, the rag-tag women’s football team from Madhya Pradesh’s Raisen announced its title-winning credentials in emphatic fashion at the All India Football Championship in Jhabua, throwing down the gauntlet with a statement win on Tuesday.

Drawing the flashbulbs squarely on the much-neglected small‑town football, Raisen‑based District Football Association (DFA) team routed a much more fancied and formidable Punjab 5-0, in the biggest shock of the tournament so far. The hosts rode on a spectacular showing from striker Neha, who netted two goals to lead the rail-roading of the Punjab girls.

The five-star performance against Punjab came just a day after the Raisen starlets ran riot in their opening fixture, crushing Chhindwara Club 7–0.

As if to prove that the thumping scoreline in their lung-opener was no flash in the pan, the girls from Raisen were leading 2-0 at half-time against Punjab in the second match on Tuesday evening.

The wins affirmed how Param, who made multiple small borrowings from banks and acquaintances, amounting to Rs 12 lakh, to assemble a team of talented women footballers from the hinterland, steadily transformed limited resources into tangible results.

The remarkable run began when he led the same core group into the Indian Women’s Football League, and the fact that the success has now been carried over to the Jhabua championship has come as a ringing endorsement of the small-town football development under his stewardship.

His strategy of scouting raw talent from Raisen’s small towns and giving players an organised structure is clearly paying dividends.

Monday’s match was marked by DFA’s dominant midfield control, incisive finishing and a cohesive defensive display.

The early pressure that they brought to bear on their opponents paid off, as the Raisen girls made repeated forays into the rival box scoring seven goals past a hapless defence to put the contest beyond any doubt.

The second half saw the hosts make a mockery of the rival defence, as the substitutes maintained the intensity of goalmouth incursions, adding to the tally and showcasing the squad’s depth.

Other coaches and spectators singled out the fluid attacking movement and the disciplined work-rate across the park as key factors behind DFA’s comprehensive scoreline.

The sheer dominance by Param’s charges could be gauged from the fact that striker Soni Munda, alone, scored five goals. She was adjudged player of the match for her stupendous performance.

For local supporters and the Raisen community, the win meant more than just three points, it symbolised what determination and local investment can accomplish in Indian football.

Param’s willingness to back his players financially and logistically has catalysed interest in grassroots football development in the region.

Football administrators watching the tournament will now be prompted to take the ‘Raisen model’ seriously as an example of sustainable cultivation and harnessing of talent.

“With the confidence sky-high after a dominant start, we will look to carry the winning momentum into our next fixtures,” coach Param told TOI.

For the coach and his young charges, the larger goal is to convert the early brilliance into a championship run, ensuring that their rise becomes a blueprint for small‑town teams nationwide.