Indian Women’s League: Late entrants Sesa face tough task

Panaji: Sesa FA are bracing themselves for a tough ride in the Indian Women’s League (IWL).

Drafted as a late replacement for Indian Arrows who pulled out citing preparations for next year’s AFC U-20 Asian Cup, Sesa have had little time to prepare. Before their opener against Garhwal FC on Dec 20, the Goan champions would have trained for less than a fortnight, though their qualification to the IWL itself is being cheered.


“Within a short span of time, for the team to make it to the national level, playing in IWL, is a moment of pride for each one of us at Sesa FA, Sesa, Vedanta, and Goa at large,” said Navin Jaju, CEO, Vedanta Sesa Goa. “We have a cosmopolitan team and each of the players are excited to be closely working with each other. They are all working towards making us proud.”

It's not always that a Goan team finds itself in the top tier of Indian women’s football. There hasn’t been anyone for the last two editions, and now Sesa – two years after formation – have moved to the top. Getting there hasn’t been difficult; staying up there could be harder.

Given that Sesa started assembling the players quite late, only after confirmation from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) late last month, it’s understandable why the realistic goal would be to stave off relegation. At least on paper, the likes of defending champions East Bengal FC, Gokulam Kerala, Sribhumi FC and Sethu FC look set to be challenging for the title, while the other four teams would be left to save the drop to the second division.

“Sesa sowed the seeds for women’s football (with the start of the women’s league) eight years ago and now they have proudly moved to the top,” Goa Football Association (GFA) president Caitano Fernandes said during the jersey launch at Amona on Friday. “Make everyone proud. This could be the start of your professional career and you could even inspire others.”

Chief minister Pramod Sawant made a quick stop at the Panchayat ground in Amona on Thursday morning to wish good luck to the team. He released the team jersey in the presence of Jaju, Caitano, Padma Shri awardee Brahmanand Shankhwalkar and GFA executive committee member Laxman Hadfadkar.

Sesa will have to punch above their weight in the league. Seven players have been retained from last season’s Goa Women’s League winning team, while midfielder Diana Antwi (Young Princess, Tanzania) and Omita Bertha (Zetech Sparks, Kenya), the two foreign players, are expected to drive this team forward.

The IWL will be played in two phases, with the first one stretching from Dec 20 to January 9, 2026, with matches in Kolkata and Kalyani.

Sesa FA: Akila, Ashika Gadekar, Aaroshi Govekar, Alisha Tavares, Arpita Pednekar, Flani Costa, Merecia Tavares, Simran Narvekar, Sheela Singh, Ambruta Nayak, Riya Sarkar, Seema Kispotta, Anjana Thapa, Jeewanti, Janhabi Kishan, Sulekha Kanhar, Sarjida Khatun, Ritika Baraik, Laxmi Priya Lenka, Diana Antwi, Aniela Barretto, Piyali Roy and Omita Berta