PANAJI
Girijadevi Desai from Cuncolim made history by becoming the first woman coach in the nation to successfully complete the AFC Level 2 Course.
Girijadevi, a Physical Education teacher at VVM's Ramacrisna Madeva Salgaoncar Higher Secondary School in Margao, is also an AFC B License Coach. She achieved this milestone during the AIFF's inaugural batch of the course held at the Sports Authority of Gujarat in Bhavnagar in September. The course was organized by the All India Football Federation. A total of 13 candidates from across the nation participated in this prestigious program, and Girijadevi was the only woman candidate to attend.
Girijadevi has served as head coach of the women's teams for Goa and Goa University several times. She has also been the head coach of clubs like Cavelossim SC, Cuncolim United, and Santa Cruz Angels, as well as prestigious clubs like Churchill Brothers, where she won titles and led the women’s team to the IWL. Additionally, she has coached the U-17 and U-13 teams at Churchill Brothers.
Desai was the first woman in India to coach a professional men's team (Cavelossim SC). She was also the first and only Indian woman to achieve the remarkable Futsal Level 1 license from 2012 to 2018.
