For a state blessed with one of the country’s longest coastlines—720 km to be precise—it comes as a surprise that Maharashtra does not have a beach soccer team. Not until now at least. 

On Tuesday, the Western India Football Association (WIFA), for the first time, announced a 12-member U-21 Maharashtra team to participate in the All-India Football Federation-approved eight-team Beach Sports Festival in Diu from January 5 to 11.