Purnima Kumari
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 February 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Jambahar, Simdega, Jharkhand, India | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Sethu | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Jharkhand | |||
| 2021 | Biratnagar Metropolitan City | ||
| 2024– | Sethu | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| India U17 | |||
| India U20 | |||
| 2025– | India | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 February 2025 | |||
Purnima Kumari (born 10 February 2005)[1] is an Indian professional footballer from Jharkhand who plays as a defender for the Indian Women's League club Sethu and the India national football team. She has also represented Jharkhand in the senior national championships.
Early life and education
Kumari is from Jambahar village, Thethaitanger block, Simdega district, Jharkhand.[2] Her father’s name Jeetu Manjhi and she has five sisters and a brother, Ranjit Manjhi, who is a daily wage worker. Her brother also runs a roadside cart to sell instant food. Her second eldest sister, Sanmait Kumari brought her up[3] after the death of her mother Chaiti Devi in 2006. She comes from a poor family and lives in a thatched hut. Since they do not have a TV at home, the family tried to watch her under–17 World Cup matches on a mobile phone, but bad network let them down. She learnt football playing with her brother during her childhood.[2][3]
She studied at Government Middle School, Jambahar and shifted to Ursuline Convent School in Simdega town from Class 6. In 2016, she joined a residential girls football training center in Hazaribag where she joined St. Columbus collegiate school.
Career
Kumari represented India in the 7th FIFA U–17 Women’s World Cup 2022 at Odisha.[4][5] The Indian team played three matches against USA, Brazil and Morocco in Group A and lost all their matches.[6][7]
She took part in the School Games Federation of India games, Subroto Cup and in 2019 played the under–17 All India Federation Cup.[3] She also played in the under–17 SAFF Women's championship in Bhutan in 2019-2020, under–19 SAFF Women's championship in Bangladesh in 2021 and under–18 SAFF Women's championship in Jamshedpur in 2022.[3] She made her senior India debut against Jordan at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium, Sharjah, UAE on 20 February 2025.[8]
In 2021, she played for the club Biratnagar Metropolitan City[9] in the 2021 season of the Nepal National Women's League.
Career statistics
International
- As of 26 February 2025
| International caps and goals | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Caps | Goals |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
References
- ^ "AIFF Under 20 National Team - 2 Purnima Kumari". The AIFF. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b "सिमडेगा की बेटी पहुंची फीफा वर्ल्ड कप, मैच देखने के लिए परिजन के पास नहीं है टीवी". Zee News Hindi (in Hindi). Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ a b c d "U-17 WC footballer Purnima's family battles acute poverty". The Times of India. 17 October 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "India's squad for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2022 announced". The Indian Express. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ PTI (5 October 2022). "India announce 21-member squad for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "India at FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup: Meet the squad". ESPN. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "India U17 Scores, Stats and Highlights - ESPN (IN)". ESPN. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ "Senior India women produce a dominant display to tame Jordan in Sharjah opener". www.the-aiff.com. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
- ^ "Nepal fall to India in SAFF U-18 Women's Championship opener". the-anfa.com. ANFA. 15 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
External links
- Purnima Kumari at All India Football Federation.
