Jamshedpur’s newly minted transgender football league marks a powerful moment of pride and visibility for transgender communities across India. It is one of the handful of sporting leagues that make space for trans athletes to participate in the country.
Over the years, grassroots initiatives, local tournaments, and community-led efforts have gradually grown into organised sporting leagues, giving transgender athletes a formal stage to compete, be seen, and celebrated nationwide. Let’s dive into the details!
On Sunday, 7 December 2025, the Jamshedpur Super League (JSL) launched its first-ever transgender football league in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
Supported by the Reliance Foundation, 70 trans athletes took to the field at the JRD Tata Sports Complex’s football turf. This transgender League comprises of seven teams representing different regions: Jamshedpur FT, Chaibasa FC, Chakradharpur FC, Jamshedpur Indranagar FC, Naomundi FC, Saraikela FC, and Kolhan Tiger FC. They will be playing an exciting five-a-side format in matches that will be scheduled every Sunday for 6 months.
In the opening matches of the Jamshedpur Super League’s first‑ever Transgender Football League on 7 December 2025, Jamshedpur FT began on a high note by defeating Chaibasa FC 7–0 in the inaugural game. In other matches that day, Kolhan Tiger FC beat Chakradharpur FC 3–0, and Jamshedpur Indranagar FC played Noamundi FC to a 0–0 draw.
While speaking with The Better India, Puja Soy of the Jamshedpur Super League says, “For the first time, I feel like the world sees me for who I am, not just my gender. Being on this field gives me pride and purpose.”
Also read: Imagining a Queer Future in Sports, One Trans Person at a Time
Why do these Trans leagues matter?
Sports build confidence, teamwork, and a sense of belonging, but trans people in India often face discrimination, lack access to training, funding, and safe spaces, and are largely excluded from mainstream competitions. Transgender-only sporting leagues are changing this, giving trans athletes opportunities to play openly, gain recognition, and take pride in their achievements.
They also matter because it creates long-denied access to organised sports while restoring visibility and a sense of belonging for transgender athletes.
Take, for example, one organisation that has been quietly laying the groundwork for transgender inclusion in sports since 2018. Ya_All, whose name means “revolution” in the Manipuri language, started as a small private WhatsApp group of just three to four people and has since grown into a prominent LGBTQ+ support group in India’s North East.
The country’s first known football match between two teams made up of transgender players took place in Imphal in March 2018. “It was a friendly match between a team of transgender men and one of transgender women,” recalls Sadam Hanjabam, founder of Ya_All, India’s first football club of transgender players, and a prominent LGBTQ+ activist from Manipur, in an interview with The Hindustan Times. This groundbreaking event served as a trial run, laying the foundation for Ya_All to formally establish a football club for transgender players two years later.
This marks a step toward building a future where trans folks can live openly and thrive, as queer and trans inclusion in sports is a human right.
Also read: The Mask You Live In and the Parallels of American and Indian Sports Culture
Another match worth mentioning is the eight‑day Kolkata transgender football tournament. It was held from 20 December 2025 in Kolkata, bringing together 16 teams and more than 200 trans players to compete for the Transgender Cup. The event was organised by the West Bengal Transgender Persons Welfare Board in partnership with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and took place at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, one of India’s largest stadiums. The tournament has been celebrated as a landmark celebration of inclusion, skill, and empowerment for transgender athletes in Indian football.
Divya Maligi, a footballer from Bengaluru who played in the tournament, told The Logical Indian: “We’ve never felt more seen. Football gives us a platform to dream beyond discrimination. For the first time, we’re not sidelined, we’re stars.”
While many trans folks are flourishing in the football field, queer-focused sporting events like the Queer Premier League continue to foster community and visibility through cricket. The Queer Premier League, organised by Gaysi Family in collaboration with UMANG LBT during Mumbai Queer Pride, brings LBT and non-binary players together for a fun, inclusive cricket event that encourages participation, camaraderie, and visibility on and off the field. It started in 2012 and has been a staple as a fundraiser event for the Mumbai Queer Pride that occurs toward the end of January every year. The next edition is slated to be held on the 11th of January, 2026, in Bandra, Mumbai, and is supported by Humsafar Trust.
Also read: S se Sports, Q se Queer, T se Trans
Although there’s still much work to do, such as improving access to training and coaching, safe facilities, funding and sponsorship, anti-discrimination policies, and more opportunities to compete at all levels, the events happening in Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Raipur, etc., are important milestones worth celebrating for the trans and queer communities.
