Taking the plunge, Kashmiri girls are all set to prove their mettle in the game of soccer as the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Brazil has gripped the youth across the globe.
Under-19 girls participated in the open soccer tournament organised by football association of the province in Srinagar.
This is for the very first time that a football tournament is being organised exclusively for college girls of the province in a bid to expose them to the international standards of playing the game.
"Football association has organized this open tournament. The girls have done better this time; they are getting letters from different states to participate. But the number of well trained girls is still less so we cannot send them as of now. This year we are conducting this tournament, I hope we train them after this month of Ramadan, so that we can prepare sub-junior and junior football teams," said Mohammad Abdullah Dar on Thursday, organizer and secretary of Football Association of Jammu and Kashmir.
FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 12. Teams from 32 countries advanced through qualification competitions to participate in the tournament. A total of 64 matches are being played in 12 cities across Brazil.
The host country Brazil was considered the favourite among soccer fans to win a sixth World Cup title, until its humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany accomplished the unthinkable - a disaster even worse than the last time the country hosted the World Cup, in 1950.
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The inability to win a World Cup on home turf will remain a black spot for Brazil, a country that has one of soccer's proudest traditions - with five World Cup championships, more than any other nation.
Soccer is a key part of the national identity and is so often a source of immense pride.
The losing Brazilian team from 1950 suffered fallout for years, even decades.
Meanwhile, Girls are in Kashmir are thrilled to be able to play the nerve breaking sport in a cricket crazy nation.
Girl players said they have been working hard during the practice sessions to break the supremacy of boys in the sport of football.
"Like you can see the FIFA World Cup fever is running high in the entire world. So, we also want to participate and improve in this sport. It's very common for girls to play sports like tennis, badminton, but soccer is something new. We want to be much better than boys in this sport," said a player, Farhana Butt.
The enthusiasm of girls on field is refreshing, as it can be a launching pad for their sporting careers.
The FIFA World Cup final will be played on Sunday (July 13) as Argentina beat Netherlands in the penalty shootouts.
The contest between Germany and Argentina will revive memories of World Cup finals of the late 80s and 90s as the sides face each other for a record third time in Brazil.
Both their last World Cup triumphs came against each other, with Germany crowned champions after defeating the Argentines in 1990, while the 1986 final being the last time the South Americans won the trophy after edging West Germany in Mexico.