| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nandini Mattu | ||
| Date of birth | 6 June 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Punjab, India | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) |
Goalkeeper Forward[lower-alpha 1] | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Sethu | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| GMSSS Chandigarh | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022 | Bengaluru FC | ||
| 2022 | Eves SC | ||
| 2025 | Odisha | ||
| 2025– | Sethu | ||
| National team | |||
| 2023 | India U17 | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Nandini Mattu (born 6 June 2007)[2] is an Indian professional footballer from Punjab. She plays as a midfielder or goalkeeper for the Indian Women's League club Sethu. She has represented India at the youth level internationally.
Early life and education[edit | edit source]
Nandini is from Chandigarh, Punjab. Her father Vijay Kumar is a Class IV employee at Udyog Bhavan in Sector 17, and her mother, Bharti, works as a domestic help. She did her schooling at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 22, Chandigarh.[3][4] She trained under coach Bhupinder Singh at the school.[4]
Career[edit | edit source]
Nandini started as a forward but later decided to become a goalkeeper following the suggestion from their coaches and senior players to take advantage of her height.[5] She played the Under 17 Women’s National Football Championship at Assam and based on her performance, she was selected among the 21 member Indian probable for the camp.[6] Then, she was selected for the under 17 team and played for India in Jordan.[7] In the Chandigarh Under 13 League, she was selected as the Best Player of the Tournament and in January 2022, she joined the Bengaluru Football Club’s residential academy on a four month contact.[8] That led to her playing the Karnataka State Football Association's Women's A Division League and she scored a hattrick in her very first match against GRK Girls Football Club.[4][9] In July 2022, she was the top scorer in the pre-Subroto Cup tournament in Chandigarh and was part of the GMSSS 22 which qualified for the main Subroto Cup.[6] In May 2024, she represented Chandigarh in the Senior Women’s National Football Championship for Rajmata Jijabai Trophy final round in Kolkata, West Bengal.[10][11]
She was selected among the probables for the camp ahead of the friendlies against Maldives.[12] She made it to the senior India team in the first FIFA friendly against Maldives at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence on 1 January 2025 but did not get a chance to get into the playing XI and sat on the bench. She was replaced by Ribansi Jamu for the second match.[13]
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Mattu played a forward earlier in her career.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "2026 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Squad Lists" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ↑ "AIFF Under 17 National Team -Nandini". The AIFF. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ↑ "From ace striker to goalkeeper, Nandini eyes place in national team". The Tribune. 3 December 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "International Youth Day: फुटबॉल का ऐसा जुनून... 16 साल में नंदिनी बन गईं भारतीय टीम की सदस्य". Amar Ujala (in हिन्दी). Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ↑ Sharda, Deepankar (3 December 2024). "From ace striker to goalkeeper, Nandini eyes place in national team". The Tribune. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Chandigarh striker Nandini Kumar gets shot in the arm". The Tribune. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ↑ Sharda, Deepankar (23 January 2023). "Chandigarhs Nandini gets call for U-17 football probables camp". The Tribune. Retrieved 9 February 2025.
- ↑ "14-yr-old Nandini beats the odds to join pro football club". The Tribune. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ↑ "Chandigarh News: इंडियन महिला लीग में ओडिशा एफसी के लिए खेलेंगी शहर की फुटबॉलर नंदिनी". Amar Ujala (in हिन्दी). 11 February 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
- ↑ "Senior Women's National Football Championship 2023/24 Final Round: Squad List". Chase Your Sport. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ↑ IANS (9 May 2024). "Sr women's football nationals: Tamil Nadu remain on top of Group A as Bengal storm back". The Statesman. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ↑ "India women's football team coach Alexandersson announced 23-member squad for Maldives friendly". Sportstar. 29 December 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ↑ Sportstar, Team (1 January 2025). "Indian women's football team coach Joakim Alexandersson makes six changes for second Maldives friendly". Sportstar. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Nandini at All India Football Federation.