"The Field Is Yours": Hindustan Zinc Chairperson Priya Agarwal Hebbar on Building India's Biggest Girls Football Dream

At a time when women's football in India is searching for stronger grassroots structures and long-term investment, Hindustan Zinc has quietly built one of the country's most ambitious sporting development projects through the Zinc Football Academy (ZFA).

The fully residential, free-of-cost football academy for boys and girls has emerged as a unique model that combines elite football training, education and social empowerment under one ecosystem.

When MyKhel visited the academy in October 2025, the experience revealed a project that was about far more than football. It was about confidence, opportunity and changing social perceptions surrounding girls in sport. Also Read: MyKhel Exclusive on Zinc Football Academy

Now, in an exclusive interaction with MyKhel, Priya Agarwal Hebbar opened up about the larger vision behind the academy, why football became the chosen medium for transformation and how ZFA hopes to redefine opportunities for young girls in India.

MyKhel: What was the "lightbulb moment" behind launching a fully residential football academy for girls?

Priya Agarwal Hebbar: There wasn't one dramatic moment, but rather a growing realization that sport has the power to change lives in ways that go far beyond the field. When India qualified for the AFC Women's Asian Cup after 23 years, there was a visible shift in energy and belief around women's football.

That momentum made us ask ourselves an important question - if the talent exists, what are we doing to accelerate it?

We saw young girls in rural India with incredible potential but very limited access to infrastructure, coaching or support systems. That gap stayed with us.

At Hindustan Zinc, we have always believed that transformation begins when opportunity meets ambition. The Zinc Football Academy was created to become that bridge. We wanted to create a space where girls could dream without financial or social barriers holding them back.

MyKhel: Beyond football, how do you see sport helping girls become leaders within their communities?

Priya: Sport teaches some of life's most important lessons naturally. It teaches resilience, teamwork, discipline and decision-making under pressure.

Football especially forces young players to think collectively rather than individually. You learn accountability, leadership and confidence in real time.

For many girls coming from rural communities, stepping onto a football field itself is an act of courage. Once they begin competing, training and succeeding, it changes how they see themselves. And when a girl's self-belief changes, it often transforms how her family and community view her as well.

That is the larger purpose behind the academy. We are not only developing athletes; we are helping shape confident young women who can lead in any field they choose later in life.

MyKhel: What has been the most emotional or memorable reaction from families so far?

Priya: Honestly, the emotional transformation within families has been one of the most powerful parts of this journey.

Initially, many parents were uncertain. Sending daughters away from home to pursue football professionally was unfamiliar territory for them. There were concerns, hesitation and social pressures.

But over time, those same families began seeing visible changes in their daughters - confidence, discipline, independence and ambition.

The moment hesitation turns into pride is incredibly moving.

When parents begin introducing their daughters as footballers with pride, you realize that sport has already started changing mindsets at a much deeper level than just competition.

MyKhel: In a country where sport is still often viewed as a "boy's space," what message does ZFA want to send to young girls?

Priya: The message is very simple: the field is yours. Talent has no gender. Ambition has no gender. And opportunity should have no gender either.

We want every girl to understand that she belongs in every space she dreams of entering - whether that is football, leadership, business or science.

Sometimes all a young person needs is one environment that believes in them fully. That belief can completely change how they see their future.

At ZFA, we are trying to create that environment every single day.

MyKhel: Education remains a major concern for parents. How does the academy balance academics with football?

Priya: Education is absolutely central to our vision. We have never viewed football and academics as competing priorities. They must grow together.

The academy is designed to provide structured education alongside elite football training because we want these young athletes to become extraordinary individuals both on and off the pitch.

Sport develops discipline, strategic thinking and emotional intelligence, while education provides broader life opportunities and confidence.

For us, success is not only about producing professional footballers. It is about creating capable, empowered young women who can succeed in multiple walks of life.

MyKhel: As a woman leading in a traditionally male-dominated industry like mining, how has your own journey shaped the academy's philosophy?

Priya: My journey has taught me that the only ceiling that truly limits you is the one you believe in.

There have been many moments where I found myself as the only woman in leadership spaces. But over time, I learned to see that not as a disadvantage, but as a strength. That perspective deeply influences the academy's philosophy.

We are trying to ensure that these girls never feel they need permission to dream bigger. Confidence is incredibly powerful when developed early in life.

We are not just teaching them football. We are teaching them that they belong in every room, every field and every opportunity they aspire toward.

MyKhel: What would success look like for Zinc Football Academy five years from now?

Priya: Of course, we would love to see players from ZFA representing India internationally. That would be incredibly special. But success for us goes far beyond producing football stars.

Success would mean seeing these girls become coaches, leaders, sports professionals, entrepreneurs or role models within their own communities.

It would mean families across rural India beginning to see daughters differently - not through limitations, but through possibilities.

If we can help create that shift at scale, then the academy would have achieved something truly meaningful.

MyKhel: Finally, what is the one life lesson you hope every girl leaves ZFA with?

Priya: Unshakeable self-belief. I want every girl who walks out of this academy to know that her background does not define her limits. The world may place boundaries around you, but you do not have to accept them.

If these girls leave believing fully in themselves and their ability to create change, then football would have already done something extraordinary.