India keeper Aditi Chauhan set to sign for Icelandic club Hamar Hveragerdi

The goalkeeper has previously won the Indian Women's League with Gokulam Kerala FC.

Indian national women's team's No.1 Aditi Chauhan is all set to sign for Icelandic club Hamar Hveragerdi, Khel Now can confirm. As a result, she will become the second Indian women's footballer to sign a senior professional contract with a European team, after Bala Devi signed for Scottish side Rangers FC last year.

"Aditi Chauhan will sign for Hamar Hveragerdi, a club that features in the 2.Deild Kvenna, the third tier of women's football league system in Iceland," a source close to the developments informed Khel Now. The Delhi-based star began her football career at the age of 15 when she was picked for the state's women's football team U-19 squad. A year later, she also got selected for the India U-19 team. In 2012, she made her senior debut for the country.

The same year, Aditi Chauhan represented India in the SAFF Women's Championship and played a crucial role for her team as they lifted the title. She was a part of the starting XI in the final against Nepal and the Blue Tigresses ended up winning 3-1.

A few years later, while pursuing MSc in Sports Management from the Loughborough University in London, Aditi Chauhan appeared for trials at Millwall FC. Although she did well, she could not join them to play as the rules did not allow a person with a student visa to play for a second-division club. This was followed by the player attending the trials at third division side West Ham United and subsequently getting selected and creating history as the first Asian women's footballer to play professional football in England.

Chauhan spent two seasons with the Hammers before returning to India in early 2018. After a short stint with India Rush, she proceeded to join Gokulam Kerala FC as their first-choice between the sticks ahead of the Indian Women's League (IWL) 2019-20. On February 14, 2020, the Malabarians defeated KRYPHSA FC 3-2 in the final and lifted the league title.

With almost all sporting activities in the country coming to a standstill due to COVID-19 since then, Indian women's football also suffered hugely due to lack of competitions. Earlier this month, the AIFF also announced that the 2020-21 edition of the IWL which was scheduled to be held in Odisha has been postponed till further notice.

Meanwhile, the Indian national women's team also played two FIFA International Friendlies, one against Uzbekistan and the other against Belarus. Aditi Chauhan started for her team in both games and was one of the best players on the pitch, although the Blue Tigresses lost both games 0-1 and 1-2 respectively. The shotstopper will now complete her signing formalities with Hamar Hveragerdi, with an official announcement also expected in the weeks to come.

Hamar Hveragerdi is a multi-sport club based at Hveragerdi in Iceland. They were founded in 1992 and also have their dedicated teams in football, basketball, badminton, volleyball, gymnastics and swimming.

It was in 2020 that Hamar fielded a women's football team for the first time, in the 2.Deild Kvenna. The 2020-21 edition of the league was suspended midway due to COVID-19 and Hamar were awarded sixth place based on points earned per match. The new 2021-22 season will begin on May 12, with Chauhan's new team taking on KH Hlidarendi on the same day.

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