Soon after taking
charge as the chief minister of Goa, Shri Manohar Parrikar declared football as
the official game of the state. He then went on and created ‘Goa Football
Development Council’(GFDC), appointing a
well-known doctor and a football enthusiast , Shri Rufino Monteiro, , as the
head of the newly created government sports wing to develop football. Goa’s two
Arjuna awardees in football viz Brahmanand Shankwalkar and Bruno Coutinho are
also the prominent committee members of GFDC. Within a year, the presence of
GFDC is felt all over Goa, specially at far flung areas. Youngsters neglected
and deprived of facilities for long have now been given full kit and coaches to
train them. At the function to celebrate GFDC’s anniversary on 29.7.2013, Shri
Manohar Parrikar expressed his desire to see football in Goa develop into an
Industry.
Can football really
become an Industry in Goa? One must admit that Shri Manohar Parrikar is blessed
with great foresight and his statement should not be taken very lightly by
those involved in the affairs of the game. Way back in the sixties and
seventies, Goan football was given a big boost by the first chief minister of
Goa, Shri Dayanand Bandodkar, in whose honour the all India football tournament ‘Bandodkar Gold
Trophy’ was held with great fanfare. Now we have another chief minister who is
also a football lover. This is the right time all the stakeholders of the game to
work in tandem with GFDC and make football an Industry.
At the moment Goa is
considered to be the numero uno of Indian football. This is mainly because of
the domination of Goa clubs in the I League having retained it in Goa for the
last seven years since 2006. Out of the four Goan clubs in the I League, three viz
Dempo SC, Salgacar FC, Churchill Bros have been champions and Sporting Clube de
Goa was runners up in the 2004-05 edition of the Natioanl Football League. But
the ground reality is not all that rosy. Our I League clubs have not been able
to produce quality players and not many Goan footballers have made it from the
Junior teams to the senior teams which is a matter of great concern.
All the four I League
clubs do not have the right kind of infrastructure to produce quality
footballers in Goa. For football to become an industry, the need of the hour is
produce quality footballers for which the clubs must set up academies. At the
moment, I league clubs have to rent grounds even for training. The Government
of Goa has been giving land to set up other industries in Goa, the famous being
the Verna Industrial Estate,Verna,Goa where vast tracks of land have been given
to entrepreneurs to set up industries. Why can’t the Government give land to
the four I League clubs on similar conditions applicable to those setting up industries
at Verna Industrial Estate? Goan I League clubs have been spending major part
of their annual budget on salaries of foreign players and other outstation players
but not much has been spent at the grassroots and youth development. Upto now the club owners have invested heavily
only for honour and glory. But for how long, is the question haunting all the
club owners today.
An Industry is feasible
only when all the stakeholders benefit monetarily. For example, the village
clubs in Goa are like nurseries in football where promising players ply their
trade. Are they being compensated whenever their player is signed by a
professional club? A system should be devised to compensate the village clubs, so
that they are motivated to invest more and give better facilities to the
players. AFC and AIFF have done well in giving time to I league clubs to become
separate entities and follow club licensing criteria. Its time Goa Football Association
too gives a similar diktat to all the clubs affiliated with it. All the clubs
must be registered under the Society’s Act for better organization and proper utilization
of the funds they generate. At the moment several clubs are run by individuals.
All the stakeholders of
the game ie GFDC(Government), Goa Football Association, I league Clubs, other
smaller clubs and village clubs must come together and set a common goal to
make football, financially sustainable and commercially viable. We are fortunate to have a road map, an
excellent plan called ‘Lakshya: One vision, one goal’ prepared by Shri Rob
Bann, the technical director of ‘All India Football Federation’. It covers all aspects of the game such as organization,
budget, youth development, talent identification, infrastructure, coach education,
referee education, technical know-how, efficient club structure, nutrition, fitness,
medical support and even career support to ex-players.
Goans have the talent
and passion for the game. Being small in size, it is better suited than others
to implement plan ‘Lakshya’. Goa has the advantage of being a famous tourist
destination and blessed with beautiful beaches, even beach football could be
promoted in a big way. Football, as the Goa chief minister has rightly pointed
out, has the potential to become an Industry.
It’s all about having ‘One
vision, one goal’. Where there is a will, there is a way.
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