AVC Eves dazzled in football for state and country
· Young girls caught the imagination of football fans and drove hundreds of fans to football matches in the state
· Jogo bonita changed life of woman footballers of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim
Three teachers and one football coach had one common agenda on their plate --- promote jogo bonito (the beautiful game) among the masses especially in their own backyard of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim (AVC). They did a good job at it. Not only did they catch the imagination and attraction of the youngsters in the three villages of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim but took it to another level. That was in the late 70’s and 80s.
The quartet of Coach Levino Dias, his teacher wife Flory Dias, teachers Zephyrus Mascarenhas and Ramesh Dessai football coaching program drove hundreds of boys and girls to the village grounds in the three villages and which saw the birth of AVC Eves football team.
They had a bunch of highly talented and motivated players at their disposal and they took upon themselves the challenge to moulid, guide and train the youngsters to be football players.
The football training, the epicenter which was Murida grounds, saw the initial struggles leading to the formation of AVC Eves. From Murida grounds the girls moved and played at various grounds in the three villages followed by all over Goa.
They played at venues which were full of football fans, majority men all who watched the action from close to the sidelines or behind the goal posts, just like all inter village football matches.
Sometimes the girls were pitted against young boys or on occasions against the veterans players or occasionally against Varca Eves and Vasco Eves or some of the other women teams which were a force and could challenge the might of the all-conquering AVC Eves. All the football encounters were exhibition matches and which brought crowds in droves to see the girls play.
The girls had a large following and the crowds who came were either their friends, family members or neighbors all wanting to see the likes of Elvy, Fanny, Fiona, Sandra, Goretti, Tusli, Mangala in action.
The girls did not disappoint, they excelled and won the heart of the football fans in their villages and all over Goa, some went on to play for the state and country.
The girls training also brought in a number of boy trainees to the football venues each wanting to impress the coach and get a place in the training alongside the girls.
So, besides the coaching on the football field, the four think-tanks of the group had tasks cut out for them and it was not easy as said done. The four work hard on and off the field to keep the dream of the young footballers on track.
They had to convince the parents and trainees alike that sports and specifically football has a future for the kids training with them.
Role models are important for any sport persons, they inspire and motivate young players to attain perfection and set new standards of performance. Equally crucial are the career pathways which sports persons can pursue once their sporting career is over, coach Levino and his team knew that.
When Elvy Fernandes, Fanny Vaz, Tulsi Gaonkar, Mangala, Myra Moraes and a host of girls took to football under the AVC Eves banner a few decades back little did they know that life will change for them via the football route.
Yes. AVC Eves team members were a household name in the three villages of Salcete and much beyond that. Thanks, in all large measure due to the popularity of women football in the 80s and early 90s, the girls went on to play for the country and state.
They came to know in the village because of their football skills. The game brought them fame and trophies on the way. Some excelled in studies while also pursuing their football dreams.
The state government did not forget the services of these footballers as some of them got government jobs and some of them are now on the verge of retirement or some have retired.
Coach Levino Dias came to be the face of AVC Eves. But Levino is not ready to take sole credit for what the team achieved on the football arena. Behind every man there is a woman and Levino Dias wife Flory Dias was like a mother to all the girls and a friend, a shoulder on whom they could lean for support and turn to help as and when they needed for their difficulties and troubles away from football.
Another man in the all-woman team was teacher and football administrator Zephyrus Mascarenhas, the quartet of Levino, Zephyrus and Flory were equally responsible for whatever the AVC girls achieved on the football field. Add to the list Ramesh Dessai.
Mind you it is not easy to run a women's team, argue the four when asked about the challenges of getting the team together and maintaining it for nearly one and half decades.
The AVC Eves has since been disbanded. But the football memories they created for football fans will forever remain etched in their memories.
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