Jason Dmelo Sets Sights on Greater National Presence for Sesa Football Academy
Jason Dmelo has been appointed as the Head Coach for the Sesa Football Academy. He is yet another alumnus of the SFA to step into the prestigious role. He takes over at a time when the SFA, as part of its #LetsFootballForIndia project is looking to establish itself as a major player at the National level in men’s and women’s football.
The 37 year old was announced as the new Head Coach by Ms Leena Verenkar, Head CSR, Sesa Goa “We are extremely happy to have Mr. Jason Dmelo on board who will be leading our SFA team. I am sure his rich experience and expertise in football will immensely contribute to our endeavours towards nurturing the budding talents at the grassroot levels, to take SFA to the greater heights. We are proud that Mr. Dmelo who is our SFA Alumns will lead our SFA squad to further strengthen our footprints in football at the national and international arena..”
Holder of the AFC ‘B’ License in coaching, Jason has over a decade of coaching experience along with a successful career as a professional footballer. His coaching association at the SFA as Goalkeeping Coach & Assistant Coach for U-17, U-19 & U-21 place him in a unique position to take forward the academy teams on the development curve. Jason started his coaching journey with the U-14 team at the Piedade Youth Club & has previously been associated with the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC), and assisted the U-17 coaching setup under Mario Aguiar.
Jason’s impact as a coach has been felt through the performance of the various teams at the SFA, notably finishing in the top 3 in the GFA leagues, winning prestigious tournaments such as the U-17 Dream Sports Championship and making it to the 2nd round of the highly competitive Reliance Foundation Development League 2024–25.
Dmelo reflected on his appointment as Head Coach, SFA, “It’s an honour to be appointed as the Head Coach of the SFA. Having grown through the ranks here, I understand the passion, discipline, and commitment to football that the Academy stands for. The coming season is a crucial one for making progress at the national stage for both the men’s and women’s teams.”
An alumnus of the SFA from 2005 to 2008, he represented the SFA senior team between 2009-11 & then again as a player-coach in 2023-24 season & represented Salgaocar Football Club & Calangute Association among others.
SFA is Vedanta Sesa Goa’s flagship CSR initiative aimed at nurturing rural youth in football & to contributing to the overall growth of Goan and national level football.So far over 230 players have passed out as part of its residential program with 11 having represented India at the International stage. The SFA is instrumental in organising several important tournaments such as the Vedanta Youth Cup and the Vedanta Women’s League.
