Sesa–GFDC U-12 Girls Tournament Concludes Successfully; Quepem Centre Crowned Champions
Goa, 20 May 2026: The finals of the Sesa–GFDC U-12 Girls Tournament, organised by the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) in association with Sesa Football Academy (SFA) concluded at Bambolim Stadium, Goa, underscoring the added impetus for developing the girls’ grassroots football in the State.
The summit clash witnessed an exciting contest between GFDC Quepem Centre and GFDC Ambelim Centre. After a closely fought match ended 0-0 in regulation time, GFDC Quepem Centre emerged victorious 3-1 in the penalty shootout to lift the championship title. The tournament, brought together 21 teams and over 300 young girls from across North and South Goa, making it one of the largest structured grassroots football platforms dedicated to girls in the state. The initiative aimed at encouraging greater participation of girls in football while also providing a pathway for talent identification and development.
The event was graced by Hon’ble Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs Shri Ramesh Tawadkar as the Chief Guest, in the distinguished presence of Shri Glenn Souza Ticlo, Chairman, GFDC; Shri Dhaku A. Madkaikar, Vice-Chairman, GFDC; and Smt. Fransquinha Oliveira, Member Secretary, GFDC, Mr. PK Mukherjee, Independent Director, Vedanta Limited & Sesa Community Development Foundation along with other officials, coaches, parents, and football enthusiasts from across the state.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Ramesh Tawadkar, Hon’ble Minister for Sports & Youth Affairs, said, “It is heartening to witness such enthusiastic participation from young girls across Goa in a structured grassroots football tournament of this scale. Platforms like the Sesa–GFDC U-12 Girls Tournament are extremely important for nurturing talent, building confidence, and strengthening the sporting culture among the youth. I congratulate GFDC and Sesa Football Academy for their dedicated efforts towards promoting girls’ football and creating meaningful opportunities for young athletes across the state.”
Shri Glenn Souza Ticlo, Chairman, GFDC, said, “The success of this tournament reflects the tremendous potential that exists in girls’ football in Goa. Organising and sustaining initiatives of this scale requires strong partnerships and committed support. Corporate backing such as that extended by Vedanta Iron and Steel Limited through Sesa Football Academy plays a significant role in strengthening grassroots football development in the state. We hope more corporates come forward to support such initiatives and contribute towards building a stronger future for football in Goa.”
Mr. P. K. Mukherjee, Independent Director, Vedanta Limited & Sesa Community Development Foundation, said, “At Vedanta, we strongly believe in the transformative power of sports in shaping confident and empowered communities. Through Sesa Football Academy, we remain committed to nurturing grassroots football talent and creating inclusive opportunities for young girls to pursue the sport. The overwhelming participation and enthusiasm witnessed during this tournament reflects the bright future of women’s football in Goa, and we are proud to partner with GFDC in this meaningful endeavour.”
The individual award winners of the tournament were Best Player of the Tournament – Uriel Fernandes (GFDC Ambelim), Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament – Shanaica Gonsalves (GFDC Mandrem), Best Defender of the Tournament – Eleora Crasto (GFDC Ambelim), Most Promising Player – Aliza Fernandes (GFDC Quepem), Best Player of the Final – Svea Fernandes (GFDC Quepem)
Sesa Football Academy, the flagship CSR initiative of Vedanta Iron and Steel Limited, has contributed to building of a robust girls and womens football ecosystem through initiatives such as the Vedanta Women’s League and the hosting of key girls and womens tournaments. In addition, the SFA senior Wwomen’s team represented the state at the IWL.
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.