PANJIM: The newly crowned State Under-14 girls champions – Compassion Football Club – hold the distinction of having four of their girls selected for the second round of selection trials for the Under-17 women’s National team in preparation of SAFF Under-17 women’s football championship 2023 to be held in Bangladesh from March 20 to 29.
The selected girls are Fatima Braganza, Zuriel Tavares, Pearl Fernandes and Rhea Rajesh who had their trials in Chennai and Indore. The second trials are yet to be announced.
Kennedy D’Silva, director, Compassion Football Academy based in Margao, felt it was a rare honour that four girls of the team had been spotted for the trials from Goa. The girls caught the eyes of the selectors as Compassion emerged runners-up of State Vedanta Women’s League behind Churchill Brothers FC and then went on to win the Khelo India Under-17 event beating Churchill Bros FC and also the All-India inter-academy championship organised by La Laga Foundation in Anantpur, Andhra Pradesh. It was a feather in their cap that they were crowned as State Under-14 champions thrashing FC Goa 8-0 in the finals yesterday.
The foursome, just in their teens, have the potential to grow further, with Fatima and Pearl having possibilities to develop into highly skilled players. They have the speed, strength, acceleration, agility, sheer power which are very important in the modern game, explained Kennedy. They will develop their technical skills further and as they move on and will gain an innate understanding of the nuances and intricacies of football, he remarked.
“Fatima as well as Pearl have the technical ability to score goals. They know to hold and protect the ball and above all are gutsy and brave. They have to further improve on balancing, running, jumping, catching, hopping, throwing, leaping which are the fundamental motor skills which they need to sharpen in the future,” stated Kennedy.
“They have been improving on passing, shooting, dribbling and controlling the ball. They are working continually to improve on these main skills in football. They are learning to vary their workouts, track and measure their performance, train the brain and fuel the body the right way,” said Kennedy.
“Winning, improving fitness and gaining confidence is part of the regimen in the process to self-development in our academy. Learning to become a better football player is the hallmark of our philosophy. Taking responsibility for one own’s development is crucial so that one becomes a better player with a new mentality, a new style of play and a new type of player,” highlighted Kennedy.
It may be recalled that Kennedy gave up his cushy job with Customs just to set up the B P Ed Department in Don Bosco College in Panjim under the guidance of Fr Wilfred Fernandes of Candolim. Kennedy’s passion for football has no limits. Even though financially weak, he managed to accompany these girls for the selection trials at a very short notice from the AIFF, spending about Rs 42,000 from his own pocket since there were no tickets forthcoming from any source.
Deeply religious that he is, Kennedy has faith and is optimistic that both Fatima as well as Pearl will one day make it to the National squad in the future, provided they keep on training with still higher dedication and single-minded devotion.
