Menaka qualifies as first woman football coach

Menaka Dissanayake from Uva became the first woman football coach from Sri Lanka to be recognised and recommended by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and invited by the England Football Association to attend Football Association (FA) International License Course for coaches at St.George Park, Staffordshire, England.

This football course for coaches will be held from September 13 to 28.

Menaka Dissanayake is a quiet and unassuming lady. She is a product from Badulla and with some hard work she played soccer with the village kids and learnt to play football.

She little knew that this game of football will take her to some success.

She joined the Department of Education as a physical Education Teacher and it helped her a great deal in the game of football. She will leave for to England on September 12 and is expected to return to the island by the end of that month on conclusion of the coaching course.

In England Menaka Dissanayake will be the guest of England Football Association who have provided her with the sponsorship for the coach education course.

She becomes the first ever woman football coach from Sri Lanka to be selected and nominated by the AFC for this highly recognised course. She is already in possession of AFC Licence Coaching Certificate and has also undergone FIFA Goal-keeping course.

Some of Menaka Dissanayake's local achievements include Sri Lanka Women's Under 16 Coach and was the Assistant Coach of the Women's National Football Team that participated in the South Asian Football Championship.

Menaka Dissanayake has done her home team Badulla and Sri Lanka proud with limited resourced at her disposal.