My family has always been my biggest support system: Indian Junior Women's hockey player Neelam

New Delhi [India], June 26 : Behind every successful athlete is a support system, and in the case of Neelam, a member of India's Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023 winning team, her family was instrumental in her development as a player.

Hailing from Kaimri - a small village located in Hisar district in Haryana, Neelam's path to becoming a hockey player began in her childhood when she observed her elder sister and cousin sister heading to the ground to play hockey. However, the path to success was not easy for the 19-year-old defender, who was part of the Indian team that recently made the nation proud by winning the Women's Junior Asia Cup 2023 in Japan.

From financial constraints to injury issues, Neelam had to face numerous adversities in her journey so far, but she overcame every hurdle due to the support and collective determination of her family, which includes her father, mother, two sisters, and brother.

Notably, financial limitations posed a significant hurdle for Neelam and her family. However, with her sister's employment, the burden lessened, and Neelam could focus on her passion without worrying about economic constraints.

"My father is a farmer, while my mother is a homemaker. There was a phase in our life when we were going through a financial crisis as my father's income was completely dependent on growing and selling crops and sometimes the whole process would take six months. So, there were times when there was no money left in the house. I even remember asking my mother for Rs 500 once as I had to travel to participate in a hockey tournament which was a 10-day affair. But, due to insufficient funds, my mother had to borrow the sum from our neighbours," Neelam said.

"However, even in the toughest of times, every member of my family always respected me and my decisions and never stopped me from playing hockey. Also, once my eldest sister got a job, she made sure that I stop thinking about financial constraints and focus only on playing hockey. My sister even gifted me expensive studs shoes and a high-quality hockey stick after getting her first job. She even used to take me to the ground for practice," the young defender added.

Even getting admission to the SAI Training Centre in Hisar was not easy for Neelam as she got rejected in trials in 2012 and 2013. However, the youngster persevered and was eventually admitted to the SAI Centre in 2014. But as life would have it, Neelam faced numerous injuries immediately after joining the centre due to which she couldn't participate in any tournament for two years straight, and once again it was her family who assisted her in navigating through the challenging period.

"I had injuries as soon as I joined the hostel. Sometimes my ankle was fractured. Sometimes my hamstring was pulled. I did not participate in a single tournament for two years. I would practice for a month and rest for a month," Neelam stated.

"However, my family, which has always been my biggest support system, once again motivated me to bounce back and became my guiding light, as I began my journey of recovery and resurgence. While my eldest sister, who is also a hockey player and part of the CRPF hockey team, used to help me improve my game by imparting her knowledge and skills, my brother made sure to keep me motivated by telling me that I am the best player in my batch and could achieve anything. My mother used to say that I will recover and play in a good tournament. All in all, my family was very cooperative then and has always been my biggest support system," she concluded.

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