Vedanta’s Sesa Football Academy earns Accreditation under Khelo India scheme
Panaji, 3rd November: Vedanta’s Sesa Football Academy has earned accreditation under Khelo India Talent Development programme which will help to further strengthen the grassroot football training program of the academy. SFA has a rich legacy of over 2 decades in shaping the footballing talents to groom them as professional footballers and this association with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) through Khelo India scheme will help to further improvise training , infrastructure & expand the reach of the project.
Khelo India Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS), Government of India aims to encourage sports all over the country and SAI has been entrusted with the implementation of the Khelo India Talent Identification & Development in order to Support National& Regional State Sports Academies. Sesa Football Academy has been accredited for this scheme for a period of 4 years. The Sesa Football Academy has a track record of robust grassroots training programs with over 200+ alumni who are shining at various prestigious footballing platforms across the country.
Speaking about the Academy’s accreditation under Khelo India Scheme Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President- Vedanta Sports said “We are thankful to Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) for acknowledging our efforts towards development of sports in the country. This association will help us in long run to further drive our journey towards transformation of football in the country and contribute towards the holistic development of sports by expanding reach of our initiatives.”
Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, GFDC Chairman Congratulated SFA and Said “Sesa Football Academy is one among the grassroot football training platforms which helps in identification and grooming of the footballing talents to help them pursue professional career in the sports. I congratulate the SFA for this accreditation under Khelo India Scheme which will help to further enhance the contribution towards sports development.”
Based on the expression of interest for accreditation of Academies issued by SAI inviting applications from interested sports academies for the purpose of selection, accreditation and empanelment with Khelo India in order to provide the training, equipment and sports science support to Khelo India and the KITD, SFA has successfully completed the assessment process including document verification & physical verification at the academy.
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.