Sesa Football Academy Women’s Team Secures Historic Qualification for the Indian Women’s League; Jersey Unveiling Ceremony Held in the Presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa
Amona, Goa, December 2025: The Sesa Football Academy (SFA) Senior Women’s Team has created history by qualifying for the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2025–26 for the very first time. To commemorate this landmark achievement, Vedanta Sesa Goa organised a Jersey Unveiling Ceremony at the Amona Panchayat Ground, where the team was felicitated and encouraged by Dr Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Goa.
“SFA Qualifying for Indian Women’s League is an important step for women’s football in Goa”
– Dr Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble CM, Goa
This maiden qualification places SFA among the top 8 teams in India’s premier women’s football championship and marks a significant moment for women’s football in Goa, which returns to the national stage after three years.
The ceremony was graced by Dr Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble CM, Goa, as Chief Guest, along with Padmashri Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, Mr Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, Dr Caitano Fernandes, President, Goa Football Association (GFA), Mr Laxman Hadfadkar, Executive Member, GFA, Mr Kennedy Dsilva, Mr Marcos Merghulhao, Mr Swapnesh Bansal, CFO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, Mr Saptesh Saresai, CEO–VAB, and other company executives. The event saw enthusiastic participation from the SFA women’s team, coaching and support staff, community members, and students of Sesa Technical School.
During the ceremony, Dr Pramod Sawant, Hon’ble CM, Goa, addressed the gathering and said: “Sesa Football Academy’s qualification for the Indian Women’s League marks an important step for women’s football in Goa. It is encouraging to see a team from the Vedanta Women’s League progress to the national stage, reflecting the commitment shown by the Academy and its partners in building competitive playing structures in the state. I appreciate the efforts that have enabled Goan players to reach this level and I look forward to seeing SFA represent Goa with determination and discipline in the forthcoming season.”
Sharing his thoughts, Mr Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, said: “It is a proud moment for Sesa Football Academy to secure qualification for the Indian Women’s League. Over the years, Vedanta Sesa Goa has worked closely with the Goa Football Association to strengthen the Vedanta Women’s League, which has become an important platform for women footballers in the state. Since 2023, SFA has also fielded its own team in the league, and their consistent performance has led to their well-deserved progression to the national stage. This achievement reflects the steady advancement of our football initiatives and reinforces our commitment to supporting structured player development in Goa.”
Speaking on the team’s achievement, Dr Caitano Fernandes, President, GFA, said: “Sesa Football Academy’s qualification for the Indian Women’s League is an inspiring milestone for women’s football in Goa. The team has shown conviction, discipline and the ability to compete at higher levels, and their journey sends a strong message to young players across the state that such achievements are within reach. The Goa Football Association recognises the hard work behind this progression and stands firmly behind SFA as they step onto the national stage. We believe they will represent Goa with confidence and set new benchmarks in the season ahead.”
The SFA women’s team was established in 2023 and made an impressive debut in the Vedanta Women’s League (VWL), finishing third in their inaugural season. Their rapid rise continued as they were crowned VWL Champions in 2025, followed by a strong 3rd place finish in IWL‑2, securing their qualification for the top tier. With this achievement, SFA becomes the fifth team from Goa to compete in the IWL.
The team will now travel to Kolkata for the first phase of the league and is set to face Garhwal FC in their opening match on 20th December 2025.
About Vedanta Cares
Vedanta is committed to reinvest in the social good of its neighbourhood communities and the nation. The Group’s flagship CSR project, Nand Ghar, is a network of model anganwadis where the thrust is on inclusive development of women and children at the grassroots level. The Group CSR initiative comprises of seven key verticals – Education, Healthcare, Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Livelihood, Skilling, Sports & Culture and Employee Volunteering. Vedanta Foundation, a philanthropic initiative of Vedanta Group is focused on skill development and vocational training programmes for the underprivileged to make them employable. A key healthcare speciality CSR project is the Balco Medical Center, a 200-bed state-of-the-art Cancer care hospital located in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The company supports grassroots level sports through their Football academies in Goa and Udaipur.
About Vedanta Limited
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing to India’s growth story, currently contributing 1 percent of India’s GDP. The company is among the top private sector contributors to the exchequer with the highest ever contribution of INR 42,560 Crore in FY 2019. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company has been conferred the CII-ITC Sustainability Award, the FICCI CSR Award, Dun & Bradstreet Awards in Metals & Mining, and certified as a Great Place to Work. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About SESA Football Academy
An initiative of SESA Community Development Foundation (SCDF), SESA Football Academy (SFA) was founded in 1999 for the holistic development of the local youths through football. The academy has created the conditions for discovering, creating and building talent for football. SFA does not restrict itself to football trainings but involves in a long term residential program which takes care of the formal education, skill development of the trainees during the four-year training period.
The academy has a strong focus on women empowerment through football. Since inception, SFA has trained around 200 footballers and has made tremendous impact on the football fraternity in Goa as well as across India. The graduates from SFA are serving in the national teams, Indian Super League (ISL), I-League clubs of India and clubs in Goa. 7 players have earned the national team cap and several players played the elite ISL.