Yolanda de Sousa
|
de Sousa in 2025 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Yolanda de Sousa Kammermeier | ||
| Date of birth | 1955 (age 69–70)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Calangute, Goa, Portuguese India (now India) | ||
| Position | Centre-forward[2][3] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Calangute Women’s FC[4] | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1979 | Calcutta Women's FC[4] | ||
| Goa | |||
| Bengal[2] | |||
| International career | |||
| 1976–1981 | India | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Yolanda de Sousa Kammermeier (born 1955)[1] is an Indian former footballer and artist, who played as a centre-forward for the Indian national team.[2][3] She was the captain of the Indian team that finished as runners-up in the 1980 AFC Women's Championship.[5][3]
De Sousa is widely known for being the first Indian woman to score an international hat-trick.[2] She achieved this feat in 1978 during a tournament in Calcutta against Singapore.[2][5] She is nicknamed the "Hat-trick Queen" for this accomplishment.[2]
Football career
Domestic career
De Sousa is from Calangute in Goa.[4] She grew up with seven sisters and one brother, and her family was very supportive of her playing football.[3] Her brother, in particular, would wake her for practice, prepare her football kit, and attend her matches.[3] She began her career playing for the Calangute Women's Football Club.[4]
In 1975, she moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata) and joined the Calcutta Women's Football Club (CWFC).[4][3] With CWFC, she won the Stafford Challenge Cup in 1976, where her team defeated a club from Pune in the final.[4][2]
She also represented the state teams of Goa and Bengal in domestic competitions.[2] She captained the Goan team to their first victory in the women's national championships.[4][3]
International career
De Sousa played as a centre-forward for the Indian national team and served as its captain.[4][5]
In 1978, she participated in the Women's International Football Tournament in Calcutta, which has been described as an unofficial Asian Cup.[3] During this tournament, she scored the first-ever international hat-trick by an Indian woman, in a match against Singapore.[2][5]
De Sousa later captained the Indian team at the 1980 AFC Women's Championship in Calicut.[3][5] India finished the tournament as runners-up, earning a silver medal.[3] De Sousa was the joint top-scorer of the tournament.[3]
Personal life and art career
De Sousa retired from football in 1979.[4][3] Following her playing career, she was employed by the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG).[4][3]
She is also a professional artist and is known by her married name, Yolanda de Sousa Kammermeier.[3] As of 2017, she resides in her hometown of Calangute, Goa.[4] Her husband is named Mahendra.[4]
De Sousa played hockey before she played football.[6]
Career statistics
International goals
- Scores and results list India's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 12 January 1980 | Calicut EMS Stadium, Calicut, India | Hong Kong | 2–0 | 1980 AFC Women's Championship |
| 2. | 19 January 1980 | Calicut EMS Stadium, Calicut, India | Hong Kong | 3–1 | 1980 AFC Women's Championship |
References
- ^ a b "The turf has changed, but the flashes of brilliance continue". The Times of India. 30 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Who Is Yolanda D'Souza: The 'Hat-trick Queen' Of Indian Football". SheThePeople. 28 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Heart and Hat-tricks: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Footballer". NewsClick. 25 December 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Turning on the magic". The Times of India. 5 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Trailblazers go down memory lane as India hosts AFC Women's Asian Cup". Business Standard. 14 January 2022.
- ^ "With hockey as an excuse, veterans meet on pitch to relive old memories". The Times of India. 2023-01-16. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2025-11-11.