230+ Graduates, 14 India Stars: The Success Story Of Sesa Football Academy
What began in 1999 on reclaimed mining land in Sankhali, building on the legacy of the Sesa Sports Club, has evolved into a robust football development programme
What began in 1999 on reclaimed mining land in Sankhali, building on the legacy of the Sesa Sports Club, has evolved into a robust football development programme. The Sesa Football Academy (SFA) has since seen more than 230 players graduate from its residential programme, with 14 going on to represent India internationally. Beyond the academy, SFA's leagues, camps, tournaments and grassroots initiatives have engaged over 8,000 young footballers, and the academy has retained its AIFF Three-Star Accreditation for a second consecutive cycle.
SFA's impact is perhaps most visible in women's football. In 2017, it launched the Vedanta Women's League, which has provided competitive opportunities to more than 1,400 women footballers across eight editions. Building on this momentum, SFA established its Senior Women's Team in 2023; within two years, the team became Vedanta Women's League champions, secured a podium finish in IWL-2, and qualified for the Indian Women's League, bringing a Goan club back to the country's premier women's football competition after a three-year gap.
Leena Verenkar (Head, CSR, Vedanta Iron And Steel Limited)
Q. How many players have graduated from the Sesa Football Academy's residential programme, and how many of them have gone on to represent India internationally?
Since its establishment in 1999, the Sesa Football Academy has built a structured residential pathway for young footballers, combining professional coaching with education, nutrition and holistic development. 230+ footballers have graduated from the Academy's programmes, while 14 SFA players have gone on to represent India, marking the Academy's contribution to the national football talent pool.
For us, however, the significance of SFA's footprint is truly gauged through the numbers impacted as part of the various initiatives over the years - the SFA has provided wings to the aspiration of over 8000 boys and girls through activities such as workshops, hosting grassroots to national level tournaments, collaborating with schools for talent development & encouraging the students to take up the sport, setting up of regular footballing events such as the Vedanta Youth Cup, Vedanta Women's League among others. The objective has always been to give young players the discipline, environment and opportunity to turn talent into a sustained sporting journey.
Q. What impact has the Vedanta Women's League had on women's football in Goa since its launch in 2017?
The Vedanta Women's League was launched in 2017 in collaboration with the Goa Football Association to create a dedicated competitive platform for women footballers in the state. Over eight editions, the League has had a cumulative footfall of over 1400+ players, helping create a wider and more sustainable pathway for women's football in Goa.
Its impact is also visible in the way five Goan women's teams have featured over the years at the Indian Women's League - the top tier level for the women's game in India - with SFA Women's Team making their debut during the 2025-26 season. The impact is also manifested through the journeys of players who have progressed beyond the state. Karishma Shirvoikar, Michel Castanha, Sushmita Jadhav, Pearl Fernandes, Aaroshi Govekar and Valaina Fernandes have gone on to represent India at international tournaments, demonstrating what a consistent competitive platform can enable.
The League has endured disruptions due to COVID-19 and others, yet Vedanta's commitment to backing the sport has remained steadfast. Hence, today after eight seasons, the Vedanta Women's League has therefore evolved from being a tournament into an ecosystem, giving women players the opportunity to play, compete, and to live their dreams out - in many ways the Vedanta Women's League is truly a League of Dreams.
Â
Q. What achievements have students of the Vedanta ESL Archery Academy recorded since 2018 in terms of medals won at district, state, and national levels? Since its inception in 2018, the Vedanta ESL Archery Academy has trained 175 students, providing young archers from the region with structured coaching and a pathway to competitive sport.
The Academy's students have won 198 medals across district, state and national competitions:
National: 15 medals - 8 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze
State: 63 medals - 23 Gold, 14 Silver, 26 Bronze
District: 120 medals - 45 Gold, 42 Silver, 33 Bronze
The Academy has also seen its young athletes emerge at the national level, with Yavna Kumari, Arti Kumari, Chitranjan Tudu, Kritika Kumari, Kuldeep Mahato and Doli Kumari among  the  performers  who  have  competed  at  national-level  events. The important story is that this has been built around rural talent - demonstrating that with access to coaching, infrastructure and sustained support, sporting potential can emerge from anywhere.
Pankaj Kumar Sharma (CEO and Whole Time Director, Vedanta Iron And Steel Limited)
Q. Could you give us a brief idea about VISL's involvement in sports and its CSR philosophy?
At Vedanta Iron And Steel Limited, we see sport as a medium for fostering transformational progress and not just as a CSR intervention; we see it as a platform for building confidence, discipline and aspiration among young people. Our initiatives span geographies and disciplines, from the Sesa Football Academy and the Vedanta Women's League in Goa to the Vedanta ESL Archery Academy in Bokaro, Jharkhand. What connects these initiatives is a long-term commitment to creating pathways for the youth, promoting strong and resilient communities.
SFA has been nurturing football talent since 1999, while the ESL Archery Academy has been developing young archers since 2018. We are now taking this commitment further by expanding opportunities for girls through a dedicated residential football pathway.
Our CSR philosophy is ultimately about creating the conditions in which individuals and communities can build their own futures. In sport, that means giving young people access to training, mentorship, competition and the confidence to aspire, by closing in the gap between aspirations and opportunity.