Top three coaches in Indian Women’s Football team history

The Indian Women’s Football team had some very talented coaches.

With the AFC Women’s Asian Cup just around the corner and Amelia Valverde likely to join the Indian women’s coaching setup, attention is turning back to the Blue Tigresses.

As India gears up for Asia’s biggest football tournament, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the coaches who have shaped the team’s journey and brought real success on the field. Let’s take a look at the top three most successful coaches of the Indian women’s national team

Maymol Rocky

Maymol Rocky made history as the first woman to serve as head coach of the Indian women’s national football team, taking charge in 2017. Under her leadership, India maintained its dominance in South Asian football despite limited international exposure.

Rocky guided the team to gold at the 2019 South Asian Games, where India produced a commanding run to the title, and later that year she also led the side to victory at the SAFF Women’s Championship, defeating Nepal in the final. She stepped down in 2021, leaving behind a rich legacy.

Sajid Yousuf Dar

Sajid Yousuf Dar is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished coaches in Indian women’s football. Beginning his coaching journey in 2004 after earning a diploma from NSNIS Patiala, Sajid rose through the ranks, working with university teams, state sides, and India’s youth national teams. His experience across scouting, academy football, and age-group national teams laid a strong foundation for his senior role.

Appointed head coach of the Indian women’s team in 2015, Sajid delivered immediate results. Under his guidance, India won gold at the 2016 South Asian Games and clinched the SAFF Women’s Championship in 2017, continuing the nation’s regional dominance. He signed off in 2017, leaving behind a legacy defined by discipline, consistency and silverware.

Mohammad Shahid Jabbar

Mohammad Shahid Jabbar took charge of the Indian women’s national team in 2009, inheriting a side that had been inactive at the international level for nearly two years. His impact was immediate. In his first major assignment, Jabbar guided India to gold at the 2010 South Asian Games, defeating Nepal 3–1 in the final.

He then led the Indian Women’s football team to the SAFF Women’s Championship 2010 in Bangladesh and also retained the title at the next edition in 2012, Colombo. His tenure remains one of the most successful in the team’s history, defined by the great number of trophies and consistent regional supremacy.

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