by
Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary, All India Football Federation has lauded the inauguration of the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) by the Goa Chief Minister Mr. Manohar Parrikar which is the first of its kind in the country.
“The Council will further help in the glorification of football in the State of Goa. I only hope this is the first of many in our country,” he said.
Soon after its inauguration, the GFDC General Body met for the first time under the chairmanship of Dr Rufino Monteiro and immediately got down to business. As a first measure, Dr Monteiro marked the path the Council would be taking.
Two former Secretaries of the Goa Football Association, Mr. Savio Messias and Mr. Antonio Bothelo are also in the 14 member Council.
“We are here for the development of the sport at the grassroot level. We are not into organising tournaments and looking at already-formed players. We are also keen on establishing a good sports medicine set-up and better management of sports injuries,” Dr. Monteiro said.
The GFDC has also started the hunt for “knowledge partners” and are open to having partnerships with foreign clubs and institutions “who have a good setup at the grassroot level.”
The GFDC also approved the setting up a sub-committee to work out a pension scheme for former footballers, a wish expressed by the Chief Minister himself.
Impressing on the state government to help acquire land for all of Goa’s four I-League clubs is also on the cards.
The Goa Football Development Council is a brainchild of Mr. Parrikar who made the decision public in his budget speech days after his Government was voted to power. The Council will have an annual budget of Rs 5 crore although the Chief Minister has maintained that “funds will not be an impediment to football’s progress in Goa.”
