As Mumbai awakens on a Sunday morning, the Wings Sports Centre in Bandra fills with the sounds of laughter, shouts, and the rhythmic thud of footballs being kicked. Among the players is 49-year-old Dawn Almeida, who once spent her weekends indoors with an empty calendar. Having moved from Dubai to Mumbai in 2020, Almeida struggled to make new friends as the pandemic kept her isolated for two years. Everything changed when she discovered Sisters in Sweat (SiS), a women-only sporting community, on social media.
Almeida, who grew up playing multiple sports, describes herself as a “jack of all trades” and knew that SiS would become a permanent part of her life. What she did not anticipate was the deep sense of friendship and sisterhood that accompanied it. “I had an inhibition joining a new group, [even] though it’s all women,” Almeida recalls. “I’m not young, so I was [wondering] if there was going to be all these teenagers and youngsters, and if I really wanted to go. But right from the first day, I felt like I fit in.”
SiS has become a lifeline for thousands of women like Almeida in India, creating a rare space where sport becomes an experience of liberation and camaraderie.
The Birth of a Movement
The story of SiS began in 2017 with a casual football session between friends in Bengaluru, a city located southeast of Mumbai. Swetha Subbiah, a fitness instructor and former hockey player, organized the session for her friend Shonali, who wanted to learn football. Subbiah enlisted the help of Tanvie Hans, a former professional football player, to conduct a short tutorial.
What was intended as a one-off session quickly turned into a regular Sunday ritual. “I expected maybe three or four of my friends to show up, but 17 showed up that morning,” Subbiah recalls. The session ended with breakfast, and the group decided to meet every weekend. By the end of 2019, the WhatsApp group had exploded with women eager to join, prompting Subbiah and Hans to leave their jobs and focus on building the community full-time.
“The name Sisters in Sweat came about by accident,” Subbiah explains. “Someone on our WhatsApp group mentioned, ‘My brother asked if I was going to the sweaty sisters session.’ Another replied, ‘Tell him we’re Sisters in Sweat!’ It just came out of nowhere. But it stuck.”
Today, SiS boasts nearly 15,000 members across Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi, with plans to expand further in India and overseas.
Impact and Expansion
SiS has collected numerous stories that highlight its impact on women’s lives and its influence on the next generation’s perception of sports. One woman joined the group after losing her husband, seeking to stay connected to his love for football and to navigate her grief. Another story that Subbiah often shares involves Shonali’s young son, who, after watching a women’s match, innocently asked, “Mama, do boys play football as well?”
For women like Priyanka Kamidi, who grew up in a small town on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border, football was never on the radar. However, a single session with SiS drew her into regular play and the community’s post-game breakfasts became a cherished part of her routine. SiS offers a safe, supportive environment where women can play without fear of judgment, fostering competition without toxicity.
“Even when we host tournaments, everyone understands we’re here for something bigger — to enjoy, celebrate movement, and support each other,” Subbiah says.
Looking to the Future
As SiS approaches its eighth anniversary, Subbiah and Hans are keen to expand into regional and rural areas. “We’ve seen the impact that this community has had on women in urban India,” Subbiah notes. “What we really want to do is bring this to underprivileged communities where we know the impact will be so much bigger.”
They also aim to empower younger girls, highlighting a study by Ernst & Young that found 94% of women in C-suite positions have played sports. “That tells you how sport builds leadership,” Subbiah says. “Can we bring that to girls earlier, set them up for success? That’s the dream.”
In a country where women occupy only 19% of such roles, Subbiah argues that sport could be a key to increasing that number.
Support from Unexpected Quarters
Although SiS is an all-women space, men have played a supportive role in its journey. In a society where sports have traditionally been male-dominated, the encouragement of brothers, husbands, and boyfriends cheering from the sidelines is significant. This support has led to the creation of a spin-off called Sisters and Misters, where women and men play together once a week.
SiS has also caught the attention of international organizations. In 2023, Manchester City collaborated with SiS as part of its Same Goals campaign, marking the first time the Premier League club partnered with an Indian sporting community.
Back in Mumbai, Almeida’s weekends are now centered around her SiS sessions. “On Saturdays, it’s people already in love with football, trying to get better,” she says. “On Sundays, it’s girls who are just exercising or curious. Our job is to make them fall in love with the game.”
For Almeida, who holds black belts in martial arts and grew up playing various sports, SiS offers freedom without judgment. “I’ve always been overweight, but I’ve always been active,” she says. “What I love about SiS is that I can choose. Football one day, pickleball another, yoga or dance the next. Everyone just cheers you on. It’s perfect.”
