Continued investment aided by a pinch of fortune: Goa’s Sesa FA prepares for maiden IWL campaign

Women’s football in India is currently going through one of its greatest phases ever.

Teams in three age categories – seniors, under-20 and under-17 – have secured their places in their respective Asian Cup competitions. At the same time, the Indian Women’s League (the top tier), albeit reportedly without a sponsor, will begin its ninth season on Saturday, a reality that seems far away for their male counterparts.

Among the eight participating teams is a debutant, Sesa FA, only the fifth Goan club to play in the IWL and the first after a two-season gap. And like most other success stories, Sesa’s rise to the top was driven by discipline, but also came with a dash of fortune.

Steady increase

While the Sesa Football Academy was founded in 1999 on a reclaimed mine in Sanquelim town as part of multinational conglomerate Vedanta’s CSR initiative, the women’s team’s journey began decades later.

The establishment of the Vedanta Women’s League as Goa’s top league in 2017 was the first step.

Despite the difficulty of maintaining a fixed number of teams each season, the league survived thanks to financial support, with Vedanta fielding its own team, Sesa, in the seventh season. The club quickly established itself and were crowned champions in the following campaign (2024-2025), which in turn secured promotion to the IWL 2.

A rise to the national level did not falter Sesa as it finished first in its group, undefeated and qualified for the final round in May 2025. However, tension soon began to build as it lost three games on the trot, allowing Garhwal United and Indian Arrows to take over the two promotion spots. However, all hope was not lost.

«Heading into the last match, we knew it was important for us to win and at least finish third. If we did that, we knew we could have a chance (of promotion) if someone had to drop out,» Sesa’s technical director Gavin Araujo said. Sports stars.

With this in mind, the club defeated Krida Prabodhini 4-0 to secure third place, and then the wait ensued. Seven months after the end of the competition, as Gavin manifested, Indian Arrows withdrew and gave the seat to Sesa.

The process

While Sesa’s emergence has been promising, head coach Nicholas Rodrigues is wary of the task ahead, especially as the squad was reconstituted at short notice.

«Now we are in a preparatory phase where we are trying to adapt to the different playing styles and tactical aspects as most of our players are new to the setup. So far everyone is doing well,» Rodrigues noted.

«We are trying to do the best we can with our team and give the players the best chance to maybe finish in the top four. This is our main goal: to be there. With a short time we are trying to do the best,» he added.

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To boost its chances, the team has enlisted the help of Tanzanian defender Diana Antwi and Kenyan forward Omita Bertha, who represented IWL clubs Sethu FC and Gokulam Kerala FC respectively. There are also eight Goan talents in the mix, with the rest of the squad filled by players from across the country, many of whom have represented national teams across different age groups.

While the foreign duo will act as mentors to the younger players, Rodrigues claimed that no pressure will be put on the players. The main goal is to create a “sense of belief” and prove that if there is steadfast support, results will follow.

“Right now we’re just trying to get them to believe in themselves on the field. We’re just trying to get them to relax so that they believe in the vision of what we’re actually going to do next,” Rodrigues explained.

Beyond results

Goan defender Aaroshi Govekar, who has been an integral part of Sesa since its inception, highlighted how participating in the project helped her break the barriers faced by an aspiring athlete, especially a woman, in the country.

«When I started playing football, my family didn’t support me and tried to stop me. They mainly had a problem because I was playing against boys in my village,» Aaroshi said.

But that all changed when she climbed the ladder and represented local clubs before cementing her place in Sesa in the VWL. She soon earned her first call-up to the national squad for a friendly against Nepal in Sikkim in October, a feat that made her ‘whole village proud.’

While a small part of Sesa’s success can be attributed to luck, it would be callous to suggest that the company is in a position it doesn’t deserve to be in. Even as clubs and associations around it struggle to keep pace, Sesa is living proof of what sustainable investments can deliver.

And while Sesa may find it difficult to hold out against the IWL regulars due to his inexperience, Rodrigues assured that his players are ready to give it their all on the pitch.

«The players are very excited about this project. Everyone knows their duties, and because it is a national stage, everyone will be watching them. They realize that they are not only going to represent Sesa, but they are representing the whole of Goa. So they are very serious about what they are trying to do,» concluded Rodrigues.

Sesa will start its campaign against newly promoted side Garhwal United at the National Center of Excellence in Kolkata on Saturday.

Published on December 19, 2025