REVITALIZING WOMEN’S SOCCER IN SRI LANKA
Natalie Soysa
Sri Lanka may be better known for the game of cricket but several other sports are also actively played in the country. In this light, recent activity within the women’s national football team caught our attention. While many team sports focus mainly on men’s teams, it was refreshing to note that the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) was focusing their current efforts on the women’s team.
Creating a fresh wave of excitement, the team plans to hire a new coach and has already revitalized the team with fresh faces, gearing up to play when the football resumes in the country soon.
There is a fresh air of excitement and expectancy surrounding the Women’s soccer team once football resumes in the country, with a new Head Coach to be recruited and a new look team groomed for upcoming tournaments. Anura de Silva, President of the FFSL confirms that the much-improved women’s national team are ready to take on national and international tournaments.
De Silva also said the new platers will have their feet firmly grounded with the help of the new coach. “We are currently on the lookout for a Coach for the Women’s team, and after the resumption of football, qualified coaches will be eligible to apply for the Head Coach position. There will be major changes in the Women’s team, too, as FFSL will conduct trials in the near future to select new players”, he said.
Sri Lanka’s national football teams have not been performing at their peak in recent years. In 2019 alone, the women’s team (under former Head Coach Thilak Alponsu) failed to register a single win at the SAFF Championship and continued this trend into the South Asian Games (SAG), where both the Men’s and Women’s teams returned empty handed. In fact, the Men’s national team have dropped to their lowest ever FIFA ranking and is currently placed at 206th in the world rankings as published in February 2020.
Considering this downward trend, it is heartening to see officials focus on reviving the women’s team in the hopes that they would go on to victory this year.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE:
After resumption: New coach, new faces in Women’s squad
Ceylon Today, April 20th 2020, https://ceylontoday.lk/news/after-resumption-new-coach-new-faces-in-women-s-squad
