Esha Joshi

It turned out she was naturally good at it. She developed a specific talent for hitting volleys and one-touch finishes, skills that became her signature on the field.

The game came easy. What didn’t come easy was the structure around it. Esha was learning the sport in a system that didn’t always reward talent on its own. She had to earn her place, repeatedly, through trials, through performances, through showing up when it mattered.

Her career hit a high point in 11th grade at the CBSE Nationals. She was representing Delhi, and they made it all the way to the final. But for Esha, the tournament had been turning into a nightmare long before that. She had played the quarters and the semis badly, missing shots she would normally bury, and the misses were starting to whisper something dangerous: maybe she wasn’t good enough.

The night before the final, she called her parents. They didn’t hand her tactics. They told her to drop the mental block, play her natural game, and trust that she belonged on that pitch. They said it like they already knew how it would end. They believed she would score.

Then, in the dying moments, the ball came to her. She didn’t miss. She scored the match-winning goal.

“Everyone came running towards me and I saw my coach standing outside and he was just screaming with joy.”

She finished the tournament as Best Scorer. That moment cemented her identity. People started introducing her not just as Esha, but as a “CBSE National player.” Winning the CBSE Nationals after a long gap was a proud moment for the school, and the sense of achievement was proof that all the hard work had actually paid off.

The lockdowns hit her hard. For two years, she couldn’t play. The break took a toll on her physique and her stamina.

“It was challenging to get back to shape… everyone knows the lockdown period, so we all were sleeping late, getting up late.”

But when she played her first match after COVID, for Friends United club in the senior division, something unexpected happened. During the pandemic, she had put on some weight and shot up in height from 4’9″ to 5’6″. When she got back on the field, she felt stronger, more confident, and to her surprise, her game had improved even without practice. Her coach noticed too.

Once she started playing regularly again, she rediscovered her love for the game. Football became a key part of her routine, helping her balance her day to day life. During the pandemic, everyone was glued to screens, but once she committed to training and playing regularly, she saw how much it reduced her screen time. It made her focus on her health, and it helped her find a positive balance.

In her final school years, she played in Khelo India, SGFI, and the CBSE Nationals in 11th grade. The CBSE win and the Best Scorer award remained the peak, but the volume of competition around it built something equally important: consistency.

When she joined Jesus and Mary College, she started playing for the college team, competing in tournaments at BITS, IIT Roorkee, SNU, Ashoka, and Inter-DU. She was selected for the Delhi University team in both her first and second year. In her second year, she was made vice-captain.

Over the first five months of 2026, Esha played nearly nine tournaments. The first two months were packed with football. She sacrificed some study time, but with exams over and internships starting, it all worked out.

Initially, she felt the pressure of balancing everything, but she learned to go with the flow. She played all these tournaments because she wanted to seize the opportunity, knowing that next year is her third and possibly final year, and she would have to be more serious academically. As vice-captain, she fulfilled her responsibilities alongside.

Now, in the break before third year, it’s internships and a bit of recreational football.

Recently, Esha joined an NGO in Noida called Footy Femmes, which works with underprivileged girls by teaching them football and helping them reach higher levels, including the IWL pathway.

What she admires most is that they don’t focus only on the sport. They also support the girls with their education, health, nutrition, confidence, and overall life balance.

“The girls come from difficult backgrounds, and their struggles are something many of us may never fully understand. But for them, football becomes more than just a game. It becomes an escape, a source of happiness, and a way to build self-esteem.”

Being around them has made her realise that no matter where someone comes from, the love for the sport remains the same. Their passion, dedication, and courage inspire her.

Football did more than keep her fit. It fundamentally changed her personality. The shy girl who just wanted to follow her best friend to badminton practice transformed into an outgoing leader who loves meeting people from different states and cultures.

Today, despite her success in tournaments like Khelo India and School Games Nationals, Esha is grounded. She is realistic about the longevity of a playing career in India. She doesn’t plan to play professionally forever.

Instead, she is looking at the bigger picture. She wants to stay connected to the sport, just from a different angle.

She might have started by accident, but she stayed because she loved the feeling of the ball hitting the net.