Akshata Patil (L) and Rizella Almeida.
DUBAI
Pioneer Sports Academy Dubai will get a valued addition to their girls’ team following the arrival of three talented players into their set-up from India.
The trio – Riya Rawat from Uttarakhand, and Rizella Cia Almeida and Akshata Patil from Goa – are scheduled to land and start training with the PSA squad from the first week of September.
All three players will be part of the PSA girls team that has future plans of participating in the UAE Women’s Football League this season, under the auspices of the UAE Football Association (UAE FA).
“The addition of these three players expounds PSA’s vision of promoting girls’ football in the UAE. While in the past, PSA had partly supported women’s teams in India, such as Sethu FC in Chennai and Sirvodem FC who participated in IWL and Compassion FC in Goa, this year we took the next step of forming our own team to participate in various dedicated leagues and tournaments in the UAE and the region,” Leonard Fernandes, CEO of PSA Dubai, explained. “Besides, we believe that we had a responsibility of further strengthening the depth of our squad in an attempt to inspire Indian talent in the UAE and the region,” he added.
All three girls arrive in Dubai with impressive accomplishments. An instinctive striker, Rizella bagged the Goa Football Association (GFA) Player of the Year award last season following her exploits in the Vedanta Women’s League organised by the GFA.
Born in October 2002, Almeida has donned the colours of various clubs across India, including the Goa State team, Bengaluru FC and Churchill Brothers. She is also a certified ‘C Licence’ coach.
Akshata is a naturally-gifted midfield maestro having played for Goa, Sirvodem FC and Churchill Brothers. The 23-year-old BSc Zoology graduate from Carmel College is also a certified ‘C Licence’ holder.
The youngest among the three at just 18 years, Riya has adequate experience to shine on any stage after having played most of her football on her home turf in Dehradun and the hilly region of Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand.
“The arrival of these three players can only be a win-win situation for everyone. For us at the PSA, this is an addition that will take our team profile higher while affording an adequate platform for our younger players to learn from these experienced footballers,” Franky Barreto, Academy Director of the PSA, said. “We are here to add value to football, especially Indian women’s football in the UAE and the region. I am confident these three girls will combine with our own home-grown talent and bring home many more accolades in the future,” he added.
