FC Tuem Crowned Champions of the 7th Edition of Vedanta Women’s League
In a riveting culmination at the Duler Football Ground in Mapusa, the 7th Edition of the Vedanta Women’s League witnessed FC Tuem emerging victorious, securing their place at the summit, while Vintage 73 SC secured the runners-up position. The six team League witnessed intense competition and the players showcased evolved skill sets. A total of 30 matches were played with overall 161 goals being scored.
Vedanta Women’s League 2022 which kicked off on 13th November’23 witnessed power-packed football action throughout, from 6 teams namely Cana Benaulim, FC Tuem, Sesa Football Academy, Vintage 73 SC, Compassion FC & Sinquerim SC, who competed in a double-leg format for the championship title.
A noteworthy addition to this edition was the debut of the Sesa Football Academy (SFA) in the Vedanta Women’s League, where they valiantly secured the third position. The team, in their inaugural appearance, showcased relentless determination, securing a hard-fought victory and earning well-deserved accolades.
The crowning moment unfolded during the closing ceremony, graced by the distinguished presence of Dr. Chandrakant Shetye, MLA of Bicholim & Chairman of Infotech Corporation, Dr. Caitano Fernandes, President of the Goa Football Association (GFA), Saptesh Sardesai, CEO VAB and Ms. Leena Verenkar, Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Vedanta and other GFA and Womens team executive members.
Dr. Caitano Fernandes, President of the Goa Football Association, expressed elation at the fruitful collaboration with Vedanta for the seventh consecutive year. Recognizing the league’s pivotal role in uplifting women’s football in Goa, Fernandes emphasized its contribution to nurturing the talents of young women footballers and paving the way for their success.
Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa, said that, “the Vedanta Women’s League, a unique footballing platform established by Vedanta in collaboration with GFA, has consistently provided opportunities for aspiring women footballers in Goa to showcase their talent and excel in the sport. With over 100 participants this year alone, the tournament has become a cornerstone in the development of women’s football in the state.”
Alisha Tavares was honored as the Player of the Match. The Best Discipline award went to Team Cana Benaulim, while Sinquerim sC received the Best Fair Play award. Pearl Fernandes from Compassion SC was acknowledged as the Emerging Player of the League, and Jenny Silva from Sesa FA was recognized as the Best Defender. Ria Rajesh of FC Tuvem was named the Best Goalkeeper, and Karen Estrocia from FC Tuem secured the Top Goal Scorer title. Stessi Cardozo from Vintage 73 was acclaimed as the Player of the Tournament and also earned the distinction of the Most Promising Player of the League.
Commending the exceptional achievements, Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President of Vedanta Sports, extended heartfelt congratulations to FC Tuem for their triumph and Vintage 73 SC for their commendable performance as runners-up. Acknowledging the outstanding players of the league, Mr. Agarwal expressed gratitude to all participating teams for contributing to the immense success of the tournament. Particularly lauding SFA for their remarkable third-place finish, Agarwal emphasized the significant achievement for the team in their maiden league appearance.
Reflecting on the success of the Vedanta Women’s League, Agarwal highlighted Vedanta Sports’ ongoing commitment to identifying and nurturing young sporting talents. He expressed satisfaction in witnessing the tournament’s increasing popularity, serving as a crucial platform for women footballers to showcase their skills and gain valuable competitive experience.
Vedanta Women’s League is one of its kind platforms for aspiring women footballers across Goa state. Over 450+ Women footballers from across Goa have participated in the VWL thus far, including the ongoing seventh edition. Notably, previous editions have seen the emergence of standout players such as Karishma Shirvoikar, Michel Castanha, and Akshata Patil, who have gone on to shine at various national and international footballing platforms.
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.