Compassion Girls Residential Academy

About the Academy

On August 15, 2021 Goa’s first Residential Football Training Center of Excellence for girls was inaugurated. The academy offers a year-long program with a balance of academics and sports.

Technical Advisor for the Academy

Heidi Scheunemann

Heidi Scheunemann, born in 1967 in Germany, is the technical advisor for the Residential Girls Football Academy of the Karuna Foundation.

As a football player she has played in the German Oberliga as a teenager. She also played volleyball in the German Oberliga during her University studies. She was Indonesian Champion with the Women‘s Football Team of Papua, Indonesia in 2005. In 2002 she founded a Volleyball club in Papua for marginalised girls and coached the U-13 as well as the U-17 team of the club. In 2008 she volunteered as Coach for the Indonesian Women‘s Football National Team. In 2012 she became German Champion as assistant coach of the U-17 girls football team of the province of Hessen, Germany. In 2009 she founded the football team Galanita Persipura and coached the team from 2009-2015 as Head Coach. The team was multiple times Papuan champion in football as well as futsal. Since 2015 she focusses on coaching highly talented U-17 female football players. Many of her players have become national players and have played in the Asian championchip tournaments AFF and AFC. Two of her Papuan football players have received scholarships and have studied in the United States. Heidi Scheunemann has been organising football tournaments for age groups U-8, U-10, U-12, U-14, U-16 boys teams as well as for U-17 girls teams and has been organising college football leagues in Papua, Indonesia since 1999. She holds an UEFA B+ -License.

Head Coach of the Academy

Development Programs & Objectives

A perfect mix of academics with professional football training

Development Program

The girls in this program will work closely with the coaches and the life mentors to learn all the skills required to play in competitive environments. They will also learn life skills and receive the needed academics which will help them to cope well with life challenges in their future.

Professional Clinics

The coaches will work on the aspect of the game that the player is weak for a small period of time (2 months)

Career Guidance

The Girls are to be educated with different career options in the sport of football and we will also provide internships for students in the academy to pursue the field they like in the course of time.

National Exposure

Players will get an opportunity to rub shoulders with Girls Football Academies from across the country in friendly matches as well as in competitive tournaments.

Objectives of the training

Emphasizing on technical qualities and to play according to their positions
Following the curriculum built on laying of technical-tactical and psychological foundations
Developing individual tactical awareness
Practicing collective technique on the ball
Emphasizing on building the body of the athlete (Aerobic capacity, speed, suppleness)
Having practice matches with local clubs and schools and then enter competitions like GFA age Group League, Goa Inter Schools Tournament, Subroto Cup and Reliance Tournament.
Participating and competing in the I league competition
Emphasizing on the emotional development of the game (concentration, self-confidence and perseverance)
Playing competitive matches across India for exposure
Focussing on quality and long-term benefits rather than on short-term gain.

Life Skills Training Program for empowering the Girls

A small scale business manager will organise several small income generation business programs in which the academy girls will participate (to learn life skills and to help pay for their living costs).

Girls do daily chores in the business units (depending on their interest and talent as well) but have an additional time to learn specific practical skills (planting, raising chicken, cooking, baking, bookkeeping skills, marketing products etc. ) on selected days.

Education & Community Program

All trainees will receive formal or open school education depending on their abilities, interests and needs and also life skills in business units.

From time to time the academy will organize community programs where the girls help families in need (painting the house, cooking, cleaning etc.). These community outreach activities will help the girls to grow in their character (responsibility, care for others, learn leadership skills etc.)