By. Sr. Annie Paul
When girls in the neighbourhood spent their free time playing hide and seek, hop-skip and jump and other games one would find Velanie out there on the field playing football with the bigger boys in the area. She would follow their each and every move observe intently and move with lightening speed. Yes that’s Velanie for you all of eleven years, puny but one who stands tall in her achievements. An ace footballer, she has mastered the finer nuances of football at a relatively tender age. A class VI student of St. Mary’s High School, Ponda Velanie has brought laurels to the school and is a source of inspiration to all around her.
Velanie played her first match in the year 2008 and was adjudged the best player at the Football Tournament organized in the memory of Lalush and Alvarnaz. This was just the beginning for the budding star who later in the same year participated in the 5th Elvino Lawrence Memorial Football Festival under 12 (Girls) and was awarded a trophy and declared the best forward player.
She has attended several camps and training programmes which has helped her sharper her skills. Velanie’s stupendous performance helped her gain selection in the state team. She represented Goa at the 6th Girls Sub- Junior National Football Championship at Haldwani, Uttarakhand in 2009 and was coached by Maymol Rocky. Later, she also participated in the under 14 Girls Football championship which was held in Goa. She emerged as one of the key players who went on to score major goals for her home team. She recorded a hat-trick against Chattisgarh. She was instrumental in Goa’s victory against Delhi and was given the title of “Goa’s Star” by the Sports Authority of Goa.
Yet again Velanie showed her acumen when she participated in the under 13 football festival for girls at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu. She scored 8 goals in 4 games including a hat-trick against Bihar and was adjudged first in skills by the authorities. Goa secured the 3rd place at the festival.
It did not come as a surprise when she was selected to attend the ‘All India Training Camp’ which is in preparation for the International Football Festival which will be held in Srilanka from 4th –17th March 2010. Way to go girl, Indeed there’s nothing that can quell her passion for football or stop her from achieving her dreams.
