![Gokulam FC's unique effort to change the impoverished people in Kerala through football](https://parallelsports.in/images/upload/cover/1685690501.jpg)
In a bid to make the preparation stronger, the club is planning to organize preparatory matches against the under-16 and under-19 boys' teams.
Gokulam FC has been no doubt the most dominant force in Indian women's football, winning the Indian Women's League (IWL) for the third time including this year also. But not only winning IWL, but the club has also silently brought a noticeable transformation in its society in Kerala.
Having explored and scouted passionate and talented girl footballers across the villages on the outskirt of Kozhikode, Gokulam FC is bringing the respective girls belonging to the below-poverty level to its academy to make their career through football. As the reflection of their effort, taken in last few years, now the parents, especially struggling to survive financially, are allowing their daughters if passionate for football to appear before selection trials being organized by Gokulam FC for their women's team as well as the academy.
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Manju and Reshma are the burning examples. Manju and Reshma are from very poor families. The club's scouting members including Ashok Kumar, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) had to struggle to convince their parents to allow their daughters to appear for selection trials. They came finally and now are established footballers. Anthony also commented on the issue, "The club has been trying to make the transformation in the society where people are fighting against the dire financial distress. It is a huge contribution being made by the club silently. Now, there are 12 to 13 footballers from this segment who are already Gukulam FC in IWL."
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With the hat-trick of clinching three Indian Women's League (IWL) this year also, Gokulam FC is now aiming at its performance in the AFC Women's Club Championships this year. However, the club president Praveen VC commenting on the issue said, "If the tournament takes place and we are included finally, then we will take part."
However, according to Anthony Andrews, the coach of the women's team for the last two years, the team will resume training within a couple of days. In a bid to make the preparation stronger, the club is planning to organize preparatory matches against the under-16 and under-19 boys' teams. Anthony said, "The AFC Women's Club Championship might take place around in October-November this year. So far I know the champion women's teams in other respective countries have not yet been decided. But we will resume preparation for the competition soon."
The club's second important objective is to produce more footballers who can represent the Indian team in the near future. There are already 10 to 12 footballers who have been donning senior India shirts in recent times while two footballers including Shilji Shaji who struck four goals against Jordan in Under-17 AFC Championships last year, are in the junior India team.
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Praveen said, "Our motive is to produce more footballers for the country. The Kerala government has already asked us to look after its women's football academy last year. We are concentrating more on this project this year so that more talented girl footballers are explored and they can be nurtured."
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