Meera was the only girl who played goalkeeper in the whole Ashok Nagar league. She didn't mind. She liked diving for the ball more than running for it.
"You're playing Saturday," Coach Deepa told her on Tuesday. "Final match. Don't be late."
"I won't," Meera said.
On Friday night, her cousin Tanya called. "Meera, my birthday party is tomorrow morning! You have to come, everyone's coming."
"I have a match," Meera said.
"It's just goalkeeping. Anyone can stand in front of a goal," Tanya said, laughing.
Meera laughed too, even though something about that didn't feel right.
Saturday morning, the party had a bigger cake than she expected, music, and her favourite cousins from Pune. She forgot to check the time. When she finally looked at her phone, it was 10:50. The match started at 11:00, twenty minutes away by auto.
She ran outside the building, heart pounding, and called Coach Deepa.
"Where are you?" Coach Deepa's voice was tight.
"I'm coming, I'm sorry, I'm coming—"
She reached the ground at 11:15. The match had already started. Rohit, a defender, was standing in goal, gloves too big for his hands, looking miserable. The other team had already scored once.
Meera stood at the boundary line, breathing hard, not allowed to enter mid-match.
"Sit," Coach Deepa said. Not angry. Just flat.
Meera sat on the bench and watched. Rohit dove the wrong way twice. He couldn't read the strikers like Meera could. By halftime, the score was 3-0.
In the break, Coach Deepa crouched near the water bottles. She didn't look at Meera.
"Rohit didn't train for this position. He stood there because someone had to."
"I'm sorry," Meera said. "I lost track of time at the party."
"I know," Coach Deepa said. "But the team didn't know where their goalkeeper was. That's the part that matters."
Second half started. Meera wasn't allowed to play — the substitution rules didn't permit it once a match had begun without her. She watched Rohit get scored on once more. Final score: 4-0.
Nobody shouted at her after. That was somehow worse. Karan, the captain, just looked tired when he packed his bag. Rohit handed her his gloves without a word, like he was returning something that belonged to her.
That night, Meera sat on her building's terrace, gloves in her lap.
On Monday at practice, she arrived forty minutes early. Coach Deepa was already there, marking the field with chalk.
"I set an alarm this time," Meera said. "Two, actually."
Coach Deepa kept marking lines. "Good."
"I won't miss another one. Not even for cake."
A small smile from Coach Deepa, finally. "Especially not for cake."
Meera pulled on her gloves and walked toward the goal, the chalk lines still wet under her shoes.
1. Why was Meera important to her team?
A. She was the team captain
B. She was the goalkeeper
C. She owned the football
D. She organised practices
2. What event caused Meera to lose track of time?
A. A school function
B. A family trip
C. Tanya's birthday party
D. A football practice
3. Who had to play as a goalkeeper when Meera was absent?
A. Karan
B. Coach Deepa
C. Tanya
D. Rohit
4. What was the score at halftime?
A. 1–0
B. 2–0
C. 3–0
D. 4–0
5. What lesson did Meera learn by the end of the story?
A. Football is more important than family.
B. Winning is everything.
C. Responsibility and punctuality matter.
D. Goalkeeping is easy.
1. Meera was the only girl goalkeeper in the Ashok Nagar league.
2. Tanya encouraged Meera to skip the birthday party.
3. Meera arrived before the match started.
4. Rohit was trained as a goalkeeper.
5. Meera arrived early for practice on Monday.
1. Why did Meera miss the beginning of the final match?
2. How did Coach Deepa react when Meera arrived late?
3. Why was Rohit asked to play as a goalkeeper?
4. Why was Meera unable to join the match after arriving?
5. What did Meera do to make sure she would not be late again?
1. How did Meera's lateness affect her teammates and the outcome of the match? Explain.
2. What does Coach Deepa mean when she says, “The team didn’t know where their goalkeeper was. That’s the part that matters”?
3. Describe how Meera changed from the beginning of the story to the end. What lesson did she learn?
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 1. Defender | A. To jump or throw oneself quickly |
| 2. Miserable | B. A player whose job is to stop the other team from scoring |
| 3. Dive | C. Feeling very unhappy or uncomfortable |
| 4. Substitution | D. Taking the place of another player |
| 5. Responsibility | E. A duty or obligation to do something |
1. What lesson did you learn from Meera’s experience?
2. Have you ever been late for something important? What happened?
3. If you were Meera, what would you have done differently?
1. Why is being dependable important in a team, family, or classroom?
2. Should personal events sometimes be sacrificed for commitments? Why or why not?
3. How can people avoid letting others down when they have important responsibilities?
Think about an important responsibility in your life (schoolwork, sports, helping at home, caring for a pet, etc.).
Write a short paragraph explaining:
Complete the worksheet first and then check your answers.
Scan with your phone to view the answer key online.
https://englishshortstories.com/answers/goalkeepers-promise-football-story/