The untold story of Goan women football: AVC Eves popularity and the career pathways to stardom and jobs
Football has its own charm and flavour in the gone by era. With changing demographics, a lot is changing in Goa and that’s includes football. With changing demographics football administrators in the state have their own set of challenges to overcome.
Four decades back the formula which worked wonders for the three teachers and a coach in the villages of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim will not work in the current set of things.
But one thing is sure the AVC Eves were house hold names in the three villages and names like Elvy, Fanny, Sandra, Myra, Tulsi, Mangala, Denifa drove many a fan to the women matches in around the three villages and also in the surrounding villages.
They did a good job as a team winning many trophies on the way and went on to represent the state and country.
So, it is time to look back at some of the football memories these footballers created on the football field and mesmerized the fans with their scintillating displays.
Many watched and followed their progress from close quarters as they either young footballers or some of the players were their neigbours and family friends.
One of them is Leister Martins who remembers some of the matches as if they were played yesterday.
He recalls his next-door neighbor Fanny Vaz exploits on the football field and the strong rivalry with Calangute Association women team
“After taking a corner kick especially with Calangute Association defender Fanny Vaz used to cover the ground and stationed herself at back as then international Yolanda Dsouza (Susan de Souza sister) was an excellent striker and that she (Fanny) positioned at the heart of the defense so that Yolanda could be checkmated and she ensured that she did the job well most of the time and never allowed her to score goals,” said Leister.
Leister adds: “Arch rivals of AVC Eves were only Calangute Association -mostly theirs matches were draw matches, which were exhibition matches.”
Leister whose house is close to Murida ground, said the trio of Elvy, Fanny and Nella were good dribblers and impressed with their individual skills.
“Elvy, Fanny and Nella used to collect balls from the defense and move forward to the opposition halve dribbling past a host of opposition players to create goal scoring opportunities.”
He recalls also the off the field situations where the two think tanks of Levino and Ramesh ensured and protected the girls to the hilt.
“No one dared to tease or make passing remarks from sidelines against the girls while watching games,” says Liester while recalling the match situations in exhibition matches in some of the villages.
Project to compile data of AVC Eves footballers
We are looking to compile data on some of the women footballers from the three villages of Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim, who excelled in the 80s and early 90s under the banner of AVC Eves, for the unknown AVC stands for Assolna, Velim and Cuncolim.
The project has been kicked off by Leister Martins, of Banda Assolna, an athlete and footballer himself.
He has been kind enough to compile a few names which he knew having followed the progress of these girls as youngster, some of them who are his neighbors in Banda Assolna.
He has embarked on the project to educated and inform the younger generation of the remarkable success they achieved on the football field in the state and went on to play for the state and some for the country and some of them got government jobs because of their sporting achievements.
And of the four people who were in the forefront of AVC Eves were Caoch Levino Dias and teacher wife Flory Dias, Zephyrus Mascarenhas and Ramesh Dessai.
If there were others, we will add their names, as of now we know that the four were the faces of AVC Eves besides the girl footballers.
NOTE: We are mentioning a few names and we are looking forward to update the names with help of people who knew the names which have MISSED OUR ATTENTION and which we can very well update in the records which we are compiling.
AVC Eves girls football Team
1. Ida Vaz - Goal keeper, Sanvorcotto Cuncolim
2. Fanny Vaz (Capt) (Centre back and a towering presence to check mate opposite strikers), Banda Assolna
3. Elvy Fernandes, (International), (Vice Capt/Capt, Mid fielder or centre half), Banda Assolna
both Elvy and Fanny played for Goa National at least for a decade**
4. Nella (Agnella) Dias (Centre half), Murida Cuncolim
5. Myra Moraes (Halfline, sometimes right forward), Bencleanvaddo Cuncolim
6. Anita Dias (Full back combining with Fanny Vaz to make a superb pair), Murida Cuncolim
7. Goretti Fernandes (left back), Catlemadem Assolna, senior nationals
8. Tulsi Gaonkar (right back), Poitomaddo Cuncolim
9. Denifa Almeida (half line), Murida Cuncolim, sister of athletes Dalton Almeida and late Alvis Almeida
10. Mangala (half line), Veroda Cuncolim
11. Ivy Colaco (forward/ left half) from Velim (National Player)
12. Veena Fernandes (half/right forward), siter of Elvy Fernandes, Banda Assolna
13. Fiona Vaz (mid-fielder), Júnior nationals, sister of Fanny Vaz, Banda Assolna
14. Anita Torcatto e Braz (back/half), Baga Velim and late Francis Braz wife
15. Sandra Martins (Back/half), Goa and Goa University, Banda Assolna
16. Lorna Almeida, Murida Cuncolim
17. Agnela Dias, Murida, Cuncolim
18. Jenny Fernandes from Velim
19. Ashiba Almeida from Murida Cuncolim
20. Ashila Almeida from Murida Cuncolim
21. Ashita Almeida from Murida Cuncolim, the last three are sisters
Corner kick Specialists: Fanny Vaz, Goretti Fernandes
Players who could kick the ball to a long distance: Fanny Vaz, Tulsi Gaonkar, Goretti Fernandes
Penalty kick specialist: Fanny Fernandes, Elvy Fernandes, Myra Moraes, Nella, Veena Fernandes,
Danifa and Ivy Colaco, if needed then Ida Vaz, goalkeeper
Dead Ball experts: Fanny Fernandes, Elvy Fernandes and Myra Moraes
Players who were dangerous in the air: Elvy Fernandes, Nella, Ivy Colaco and Denifa Almeida
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