Debut of Sesa Football Academy’s Senior Women’s Team Signifies a Major Milestone for the Development of Women’s Football in Goa
12 September 2023: GFA in association with Vedanta is all set to host the highly anticipated 7th Edition of the Vedanta Women’s League, which is poised to captivate football enthusiasts with the inaugural doubleheader on 12th September 2023. Vedanta Sesa Goa’s Sesa Football Academy (SFA) women’s team will make its debut in the action-packed opening day that will feature Compassion FC squaring off against FC Tuem at Navelim and Sesa FA facing Vintage 73 SC at Sirsaim.
The upcoming season promises to showcase thrilling encounters among the six highly talented teams vying for the top honours. The participating teams include FC Tuem, Cana-Benaulim SA, Vintage 73 SC, Sesa FA, Compassion FC, and Sinquerim SC. The tournament is being conducted in a in a double-leg format, ensuring a season of intense and exhilarating football and is set to conclude by the end of November and will be live streamed on Sportscast. The jersey unveiling for the VWL was held at Panjim in the presence of Dr Caitano Fernandes, President, GFA, Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa, and other officials from Vedanta Sesa Goa including Richa Dubey, CHRO, Sourav Seksaria, CFO, Anup Deo, CCO among others.
Dr. Caitano Jose Fernandes, President, Goa Football Association said that “The Vedanta Women’s Football League stands as a shining testament to Vedanta’s commitment, in collaboration with the Goa Football Association (GFA), to provide a premier platform for the aspiring women footballers of our state. Over 6 years numerous women have used this platform as a springboard to both national and international recognition, a testament to the transformative power of Vedanta’s vision. I would like to wish all the players and coaches all the very best.”
Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President, Vedanta Sports said that “At Vedanta Sports, we are resolute in our commitment to empower women and to transforming communities in Goa through sporting excellence. We are focused on harnessing India’s limitless potential in the field of sports by identifying and nurturing talent through our extensive grassroots sports development programs. And with great pleasure I welcome the 7th edition of the Vedanta Women’s Football League and with even greater pride, I am elated to share the news of Sesa Football Academy fielding its very own team for the first time in this league. I extend my heartfelt best wishes to all the teams and players as they embark on this journey in the upcoming Vedanta Women’s Football League.”
Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa , said that “Vedanta Women’s League (VWL) stands as a pioneering sports development initiative at grassroot level, aimed at elevating women’s football within the state of Goa. We continue to forge new frontiers in Goa’s women’s football scenario as the introduction of our women’s team signifies a momentous achievement. I am immensely pleased to witness the resounding tangible impact of VWL in the achievements of women players at national & international platforms as it serves as a vital platform for women to showcase their exceptional skills and paves the way for promising opportunities. Players like Karishma Shirvoikar, emerging as international stars while hailing from the humble village of Odxel in Goa, embody the incredible transformative power of sports.”
Under the aegis of Anil Agarwal Foundation, SFA- Vedanta Sports’ flagship CSR initiative aims to develop quality footballers from the state of Goa and across the country by creating environment for discovering, nurturing, and building talent for Indian Football. The academy identifies and trains talented youngsters, who are passionate about Football at the grassroot level by inducting them into its residential programme and over a period of four years, nurtures and develops them into professional footballers and well-disciplined citizens while taking care of their academic education throughout the residential training programme. SFA has groomed 183 footballers since it’s inception in 1999 and has made tremendous impact on the football fraternity across the country. Vedanta Women’s League is one of its kind platforms for aspiring women footballers across Goa state. 250+ Women footballers from across Goa have participated in VWL in the last 6 editions.
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.