PANAJI: A total of 18 trainees graduated from Sesa Football Academy during the fifth convocation ceremony held on Friday at the Sesa Football Academy premises at Sanquelim.

The 18 boys who are graduating were selected in 2006 and put through the paces of nurturing their talent at the academy with a special emphasis on continuing their academics. Of the 18 boys, 7 have completed college, 7 higher secondary and 4 have completed their high school.
The four-year stint at the academy honed their talent with focus on their fitness, stamina and skill development through a structured coaching program by coach Anthony D’Souza and asst coach  Ajay Acharya. Due importance was given to their nutritional aspects and injury management by Dr N N Bhatiker, who is at the helm of affairs in SFA since 1999.
The residential programme also caters for extra tuitions in academic subjects.
The chief guest Mr Alberto Colaco, general secretary, AIFF went down memory lane and recalled the times in 1998, when Sesa decided to disband their football team and he as secretary had tried his best to prevent them from doing so. Mr Colaco said:“In retrospect, I congratulate that decision since it paved the way for them to set out on a new mission and reach the present level of proficiency. The AIFF has a goal to be among the top ten in Asia by 2016 and that will not be possible without the help of academies like Sesa and TFA, as well as everyone connected with the game.”
Mr Colin Toal, Technical Director for coaching from AIFF graced the function in the capacity of guest of honour. In his address to the passing out class he told the boys that the bonds built by them in the academy and the four years that they spent here would always be looked back as the best years of their lives. Mr Toal said: “So far you trained and played not for the sake of winning, but for the sake of improving. But from tomorrow, it is a new start and with your ability, what is more important is your character and attitude that will make you successful in the pressure world of professional football.”
Mr P K Mukherjee , Managing Director of Sesa Goa Ltd earlier welcomed the gathering and said: “When we disbanded the club in 1998, skeptics dubbed it as a cost cutting measure. But our vision and passion for football has brought us here today with not just one but two quality playing turfs which few top clubs can boast of. So far more than Rs 5 crore have been spent on nurturing Goan footballers and last year alone we have spent Rs 80 lakh.” He expressed his desire to see India rise in the FIFA rankings and be among top 100, and reiterated his commitment to award Rs 1 lakh to every graduate of Sesa Football Academy who would go on to play for India. 
Seven boys from the passing-out batch represented the under-21 side of Goa that went on to win the National Championship. Bruno Colaco and Girish Naik were also part of the India under-19 camp. Sports Authority of Goa awarded Rs 15,000 each to the seven trainees with Charles Miranda, Gary D’Mello, Valerio Rodrigues, Relliston Fernandes, Joel Martins, Anthony Coutinho and Bruno Colaco being the beneficiaries. Eight of these boys are being absorbed into the senior Sesa team and a lot of other clubs have expressed interest to recruit the other boys.
Said Charles Miranda: “I have been very happy here at SFA for the past four years, both for my football and my academics. I am sure that this will be a strong foundation for me to move into the senior teams and ultimately represent India.” Girish Naik adds: “SFA days will never be forgotten. It has given us wings and a dream for the ultimate honour of playing in Indian colours and also maybe in Europe like the international stars
we adore.”