Team Herald
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PANJIM: Girijadevi Desai from Cuncolim is the first woman coach in India to successfully complete the AFC Futsal Level 2 Course.
Girijadevi, who is a Physical Education teacher at VVM's Ramacrisna Madeva Salgaoncar Higher Secondary School, Margao, and also an AFC B Licence coach in football, has achieved this milestone during the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) inaugural batch of the course held at the Sports Authority of Gujarat, in Bhavnagar, Gujarat in the month of September.
In the course organised by AIFF, a total of 13 candidates from across the nation participated in the programme. And Girijadevi was the only women candidate to attend this course.
Girijadevi has also served as the head coach of women’s teams of the State, Goa University, clubs namely Cavelossim SC, Cuncolim United, Santa Cruz Angels, Churchill Brothers and have won titles and have made it to IWL with women’s team of Churchill Brothers. She has also coached Churchill brothers U-13 and U-17 boys.
Girijadevi was the first Women in India to coach the men’s professional team(Cavelossim SC) and was the first and only Indian women with a remarkable achievement of Futsal Level 1 licence across India in the year 2012 upto 2018.