Young Gaurs at the Forca Goa Foundation Inter-Center League. (Photo courtesy: FC Goa)
Forca Goa Foundation kicked off its inaugural League between 16 of its grassroots development centres earlier last week. The League will see weekly matches being played between the centers in three zones; North, Central and South.
The League will run every Saturday from October until the end of the academic year with breaks during exams and holidays. Each school will have two teams in the U12 and U14 age categories participating in this league. Conceptualized by Derrick Pereira, Technical Director of FC Goa, the league hopes to provide incentives to the coaches and children in the grassroots program and give them valuable match experience.
Current school football competitions provide limited match time to the participants as they are mostly short tournaments rather than long term leagues. By putting the focus on playing time rather than winning, the Foundation hopes to build future stars by allowing them to develop critical match skills that players can only get by playing games regularly.
Coaches also benefit from developing and selecting a team that plays regular football. It allows them to develop tactically and professionally. Considering a coach can impact over 1000 kids though his/her career, the Foundation hopes this league will have a long lasting impact in the football ecosystem in the state.