India, April 24 -- Here's a stat: In four seasons as head coach in the Indian Women's League (IWL), the worst performance for Anthony Andrews has been a second-place finish. Here's another: With an 85% win record, Andrews is the most successful women's team coach in the top flight in India. Not bad for someone who will be 30 next January and started coaching as a side hustle.

"Age should not be a problem for any coach," Andrews told HT after his third IWL title, this time with East Bengal. "You get respect for what you do on the pitch. If that is helping the players, you have earned their respect."

It is evident Andrews has, at East Bengal. A club official told HT that as they overhauled the roster with India internationals (Ashalata De...