SFA Qualifying for IWL will Usher in a Goan Sunrise for Women’s Football, says Armando Colaco, Dronacharya Awardee & ex-India Coach
The Sesa Football Academy (SFA) Senior Women’s Team has scripted a landmark chapter in Goan football history by securing its maiden qualification to the 9th Indian Women’s League (IWL). It is after a gap of three years that a Goan Team shall be participating in the prestigious event.
SFA are the fifth Goan team ever to participate in the IWL. The previous participants being Panjim Footballers (2019), Bidesh XI SC (2020), Sirvodem FC (2022) and Churchill Brothers (2023). The achievement for SFA , the reigning Vedanta Women’s League Champiopns came after their credible third place finish in the IWL2.With the Indian Arrows withdrawing from participating in the IWL , the persistent effort of Dr Caitano Fernandes , President Goa Football Association (GFA) resulted in SFA qualifying for the 16-team event.
With the rising profile of the women’s game in India, the U17,U21 and the senior women’s team having qualified for the AFC Champions Cup, it is important to be as close to the action. SFA securing qualification to the IWL allows Goan talent the much-needed window of opportunity to break into the ‘big’ league. Speaking on the development, Mr Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa, “Heartiest congratulations to the SFA Senior Women’s Team for their maiden qualification for the IWL. It is a matter of tremendous pride to see the team take such rapid strides and inspiring many others along the way.”
Dronacharya Awardee and former India & SFA Coach, Mr. Armando Colaco, considers the development to be one beyond a mere sporting milestone, “The SFA Senior Women’s Team qualifying for the IWL signifies the revival of women’s football in Goa,” he stated. “Several years ago, the women’s game enjoyed strong grassroots presence here, but over time, it gradually receded from prominence. The SFA’s recent accomplishments have reignited that momentum.” He further added that “This qualification presents an exceptional opportunity for the players,” observing that “The young players exhibit commendable technical ability, temperament, and discipline. This achievement is a the beginning of a new phase for Goan football rather than the culmination of one.”
Having mentored Champion teams across various levels, Mr. Colaco highlighted SFA’s role in creating a sustainable ecosystem for women’s football, “SFA has not only nurtured players but has actively restored the pathway for women’s football progression in the state,” he noted. “It is essential that women’s football is viewed not as support-led benevolence, but as a strategic and high-performance sporting avenue. In this regard the role of Vedanta Sesa Goa in consistently supporting the Women’s League in Goa is commendable and responsible for this resurgence in footballing fortunes of the State.”
He further emphasised the potential long-term impact of SFA’s qualification, “If the current momentum is carefully harnessed, SFA has the capacity to emerge as a national reference point for women’s football development.” As the SFA Senior Women’s Team prepares to compete in the IWL, expectations are high from a performance standpoint as well as for what the development can potentially unlock for Goan football & beyond. “This moment belongs to the players, the academy, and to every young girl who aspires to pursue football professionally,” Mr. Colaco concluded. “It is a moment of revival, not just of qualification and the entire football fraternity should stand with the SFA team and support them in all possible ways to make this a Goan sunrise.”
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.