Sesa Football Academy was established in 1999 with a vision of becoming a premier academy in India, producing footballers for the Indian national team from the state of Goa. The academy identifies talented youngsters with the passion for football, inducts them into the residential program at the academy, and over a period of four years nurtures and develops them as professional footballers and well-disciplined citizens. The academy's activities have yielded positive results – seven SFA alumni have played for the national team, and eight players took part in the latest edition of the Indian Super League. Some notable alumni include Adil Khan, Denzil Franco, Micky Fernandes and Pratesh Shirodkar. Till date, more than 150 players have benefited from SFA's programs, out of which some have played internationally and many others have represented various prestigious clubs of the country.
Football Programs
Residential Academies
Sesa Football Academy presently runs two residential campuses – Sanquelim campus, which began its functioning in June 1999; and Sirsaim campus, which was established in June 2008. Both academies are fully residential with on-site accommodation and all other amenities required for the development of a footballer, including gym, medical facilities, nutrition and boarding facilities, recreational facilities, etc. Students are also given orientation in sports medicine, physiological assessment and physiotherapy. The academy is AIFF-accredited, and hosts the AIFF Youth Leagues at their campus. Since they are firmly entrenched in the Vedanta Group's CSR activity, SFA does not charge its students, and all expenses related to student welfare, education, transportation, etc. are borne by SFA.
Sanquelim Campus
The Sanquelim campus, with 36 players, is a four-year residential program admitting 18 students every two years. It is built on the Sanquelim reclaimed mine site, with a beautiful football ground, well-established gymnasium, and a complete hostel facility along with a recreation center.
Sirsaim Campus
To further nurture the young talent with football training and to provide a disciplined regime, new infrastructure at Sirsaim was inaugurated on 14 February 2010. Constructed at an approximate cost of Rs. 4 crores, it has state of the art infrastructure at international standards. The Sirsaim academy currently has 30 trainees in its four-year residential program, with a batch of 15 trainees admitted every two years.
Staff
To guide the technical aspects of both academies, a UEFA Pro License Coach, Eduard Batlle Basart was roped in as the technical director. He has previously worked with the youth teams at European giants Manchester United and FC Barcelona. Sesa Football Academy has a full-fledged staff including two Head Coaches who plan and execute the training program, along with the support of doctors, physiotherapists, and other staff to assist and manage the affairs of the teams and the academies. Arjuna awardee and ex-Indian captain Brahmanand Sankhwalkar is the Chief Mentor of Sesa Football Academy.
Vedanta Football Schools
In line with its objective of identifying and promoting young talent, SFA launched Vedanta Football Schools in 2012 to identify boys from nearby schools under the age of 14 years, and provide them non-residential football training. This is in line with the larger vision of community development in the areas where Vedanta operates. Currently SFA operates 4 football schools, at Majorda, Nuvem, Sanguem and Thivim. These centers have proved to be a feeding pool for the academy, with 6 students from these schools making it to the residential academy.
Vedanta Women's League
Working towards the aim of women empowerment through football, Sesa Football Academy launched the Vedanta Women's League in 2017, with the support of Goa Football Association. The league was inaugurated by then Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in the presence of eminent women's football legends. The Vedanta Women's League has since completed two seasons, with over 200 girls given an opportunity to play football. The winner of the 2018 edition, Panjim Footballers, went on to play in the Indian Women's League as the sole team from Goa.
