Maymol Rocky steps down as Indian women's football team coach

Maymol, who took over the reins as head coach in 2017 after a stint as the assistant coach, led the team to a number of international successes and saw them progress tremendously in recent years.

Indian women's football team coach Maymol Rocky has stepped down from her role due to personal reasons. (SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT)

After four years in charge of the Indian women's senior national team, head coach Maymol Rocky has stepped down from her role due to personal reasons.

Maymol, who took over the reins as head coach in 2017 after a stint as the assistant coach, led the team to a number of international successes and saw them progress tremendously in recent years.

Speaking to www.the-aiff.com, she thanked the federation for its "trust" in her abilities.

"I sincerely thank the All India Football Federation for believing in me and the team for so many years.

READ MORE: AIFF Awards: Bala Devi, Manisha Kalyan named winners

"I am very happy to see the progress we have made in the last few years. The facilities we got were always excellent and the support we got from the federation, Sports Authority of India (SAI), and the Government of Odisha has been the key to our success," Maymol said.

AIFF Secretary General Kushal Das added: "Maymol Rocky has expressed her inability to continue as the Head Coach of the Senior National Women’s Football Team owing to personal reasons.

"We accept her decision and thank her for her contribution to Indian Football. Our best wishes to her for her future endeavours." A former India international player, Maymol termed her stint as the "best phase" of her career and praised the team's efforts during this time.

"If I look back, we did have our ups and downs but this was certainly the best phase of my career. The team has grown immensely from when I joined and I have also grown with the team.

"The experience that the players and I have got from the national team has been amazing. I am glad the team stood up to the expectations and the players always gave their best in every session and match we played," Maymol maintained.

READ MORE: Official logo of the AFC Women's Asian Cup India launched

The Indian women's national team created history in November 2018 by making it through to the second round of the Olympic qualifiers for the first time ever.

They won the title at the SAFF Women's Championship in 2019 and the gold medal at the South Asian Games in Nepal.

With India set to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup for the first time next year, Maymol expressed her best wishes to the team for the tournament.

"The AFC Asian Women's Cup 2022 is the biggest platform for our National Team and I am sure it will generate a lot of interest in women's football in India and will inspire future players, coaches, and many more people."