Ranis of football!

Given the manner in which the Smt RSB Arya Vidya Mandir Juhu girls football team have dominated the interschool football scene in the recent past it wonrsquot be wrong to call them the Ranis Queens of the gameInterestingly the girls have been winners in the last two editions of midday Ranis of Rink Mumbairsquos only interschool rink football tournament for under16 girlsAfter the inaugural season of the eightteam fiveaside tournament in 2019 the AVM girls won SeasonII in 2022 beating Dhirubhai Ambani Bandra in the final and then defended the title in the third season 2024 beating Rustomejee Cambridge International Dahisar in the finaleThe AVM girlsrsquo continuous growth especially in the Mumbai Schools Sports Association girls U16 Division I has been commendableThe full squadThe girls school lacks sporting infrastructure they do not have access to a fullsize football field and train on a 30x80m school ground There is also no professional coaching set up they are trained by their physical education teachercumfootball coach Desmond DrsquoSouza Yet they have aced Mumbairsquos interschool football eventsSteady path to progessionIt has been a slow but sure path to progression in football for this Juhu school who first won the MSSA U12 title in 2014 The girls U16 team have been winners of the DivisionI title in 201718 201920 and 202324 In between they finished runnersup in 201819 In 202021 and 202122 the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID19 pandemic The following season they did not have a team and refrained from participating in the tournamentDesmond DrsquoSouzaOn Thursday they will be looking to defend their MSSA DivisionI title when they face Bombay Scottish Mahim in the final at St Francis DrsquoAssisi ground Borivli In the semifinals they got the better of a promising Rustomjee Cambridge International Dahisar 41 The top performers for AVM have been forward Norah Bhattacharya with four goals and midfielder Radhika Vyas with three The AVM outfit has been well led by Stuti Kothari over the last few years This year the team have been phenomenal They have not just done well at the MSSA tournament but have also succeeded at district state and nationallevel meetsAlso Read AVM Juhu do the doubleThe AVM girls emerged triumphant in the District Sports Officeorganised Subroto Cup In the DSO Mumbai suburban final they beat Rustomjee Cambridge International School Dahisar 21 They then beat DSO Mumbai city champions Bombay Scottish Mahim 20 to emerge Divisional champions At the state meet held at Balewadi Pune they trumped Nagpur Division 20 in the summit clash Thereafter they represented Maharashtra at the 63rd Subroto International football tournament for girls U17 at New Delhimdashthis is the first time a girls team from Maharashtra achieved this feat At the Subroto tournament they played three matches winning two and losing oneSmt RSB AVMrsquos talented midfielder Radhika Vyas during a training sessionPE teacher DrsquoSouza has been the coach and sole strategist for the girls ldquoI joined the school as a physical education teacher in 2009 Before that I was a football coach so that came in handy I started football with the Class III girls and gradually moved on to U14 and U16 Our girls train on a ground that is less than half the size of a regular football field but that has not stopped them from achieving success on the big stage These girls are extremely hardworking talented and passionate about the game As a trainer I get them to concentrate on their fitness and dynamic exercises besides some fundamental football skills Our principal Damanjit Kaur Sabherwal permits the girls to train daily during their last two lectures There is nocompromising on studiesrdquo explained DrsquoSouzaMidfield mainstayOn the football field medio Radhika is coach DrsquoSouzarsquos goto player The fact that she can play in multiple possessions with ease is beneficial to the team Standing five feet tall Radhika is an allroundermdashshe can play upfront where she scores and assists and is equally effective when she retreats to defend ldquoRadhika is a midfielder but I have trained her to play in any position as per a given situation Shersquos a huge asset for our teamrdquo said DrsquoSouzaPrincipal Sabherwal attributes the teamrsquos success to DrsquoSouzarsquos keen eye for identifying and nurturing raw talent ldquoOur girls have demonstrated that with unity strategy and a nevergiveup attitude they can conquer the toughest challenges Their triumphs at district state and national level are a reflection of their commitment making them true champions on and off the field Without the luxuries of having a dedicated football ground they have an equally passionate sports master in Desmond DrsquoSouza He is their coach mentor and guide He has turned raw talent into matchwinners Theyrsquove risen to the top inspiring us all with their remarkable journeyrdquo concluded SabherwalView from an expertAnagha janakkiraman Former nationallevel footballerThough Irsquom away pursuing my Bachelors degree at The Hague University of Applied Sciences in The Netherlands I always keep myself updated about the achievements of my schoolrsquos football team It was a huge honour for me when I led our team to its maiden MSSA Div1 U16 title in 2017 Our mottomdashAVM Juhu plays to winmdashhas been most inspirational As a former captain and player itrsquos very heartwarming to see my school doing well in football over the years I have met the current team members and their parents and I noticed that they have the same passion and hunger that we possessed seven years ago Our coach Desmond DrsquoSouza sir has has a fine eye for talentlsquoConfident of doing well this seasonrsquoStuti Kothari Captain of U16 teamlsquoAll of us love playing football and most of us have been playing together for the last few years Due to this we understand each otherrsquos style of play and that helps us work well as a unit We are extremely grateful to our school our coach and parents for always being very supportive Their guidance has helped us manage our studies and sports successfully We have a good team and are in good form We are ready to give our best to win the MSSA U16 title this year We are confident of succeedingrsquolsquoWe trust each other on the fieldrsquoRadhika Vyas Top performerlsquoDesmond sir is very good at reading the opposition He changes his strategy as per the requirement of each match He plays me in different positions and Irsquom happy to deliver for my team I donrsquot feel only I am a special player we are all special players We trust each other on the field This is the secret to our successrdquo