PANJIM: Forca Goa Foundation, an NGO that works through football for grassroots development, has kicked off a league involving 16 of the centres it runs in the coastal state.
The “Inter-Center League”, which is supported by Indian Super League franchise FC Goa, will see weekly matches being played between the centers in three zones – north, central and south.
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.
The league, which kicked off last week, will run every Saturday 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.
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 1,000 kids though his/her career, the foundation hopes this league will have a long lasting impact in the football ecosystem in the state.
