Bala Devi signs a contract with Odisha FC

The Eastern Dragons bolster their squad with a huge transfer.

Bala Devi will be plying her trade for Odisha FC in the upcoming edition of Indian Women’s League. The club announced the signing via their social media handle on Friday, 10th February. Bala Devi joined Rangers FC in 2020 and played in the Scottish League for two seasons.

Across two seasons, she could only feature on nine occasions and scored two goals, missing out majorly due to injuries. The forward also became the first Indian women’s football player to score a goal in the European professional football league. 

The landmark stint in Scotland

Bala Devi had a challenging time since she joined the club with the lockdown restrictions and the difficulty in understanding the Scottish accent. Her first foreign stint was with the New Radiant WSC of Maldives in the FAM Women’s Football Championships in 2014, along with Oinam Bembem Devi and Lako Phuti Bhutia. Devi scored seven goals in 25 appearances. 

National Team contributions

In December 2022, Devi moved to Spain along with Elangam Panthoi Chanu and underwent a training-cum-trial stint at the Spanish Segunda Federation club Malaga FC. Before joining Rangers FC, Bala Devi was an integral member of the Manipur Police team, having scored 26 goals in 37 matches. She made her national debut at the U-17 level in 2005 and in the same year made her debut for the senior national team as well, representing the Blue Tigresses 46 times and scoring 36 goals.

The forward’s most memorable tournament was the 2014 SAFF Championships, in which she scored sixteen goals in only five matches. She was very influential in her state (Manipur) winning the women's football championship in 2014. AIFF (All India Football Federation) recognized her performance and was awarded the Women’s player of the year award. She went on to bag the award for the second consecutive time in 2015.

Bala Devi will once again play a vital role in the women’s Olympic qualifying tournament, which is set to start in April 2023.