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Chief Secretary B Vijayan hoped to see at least five Goan players in the Indian under-17 World Cup in 2017 which will be hosted by India for the first time.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Goa International Football Table (GIFT) at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Bambolim on Friday, Vijayan said the Goa Football Development Council should not forget the objective that was stated while the GFDC was launched in 2012.
“There must be total transformation in the way we see and run football. There must be a change,” said Vijayan.
Member Secretary, GFDC, Elvis Gomes, complimented the tiny state of Mizoram on their Santosh Trophy triumph and said they had shown the success path for other states to follow.
“The GFDC is once again taking centre stage to bring together a few footballing minds in its endeavor to continually learn the art and science of reaching those hallowed places in world football which have eluded the nation and seem to be so near yet are too far from reach,” Gomes said in his opening remarks.
Sports secretary Mathew Samuels congratulated GFDC for organizing the second edition of GIFT, while GFDC chairman Dr Rufino Monteiro sought support from all stakeholders to make football stronger than ever before.
“We are now embarking on a mission to develop talent boys in the age group of 12-15 years by setting up two district residential academies. This will be the forerunner to the Elite academy which is our goal on the top of our pyramid of talent development,” said Rufino Monteiro.
The most telling comment of the evening session was made by Shrinvas Dempo, a man who wears a whole lot of hats. Besides being owner of Dempo, and president of Goa Football Association and also vice-president of GDFC, Shrinavas spelled out just two words to describe an owner of an I-league, whose club is bleeding big time financially because of its many and massive commitment. Foolishly Passionate. These eloquent couple of words said it all.
In the interactive session that followed, Ishmeet Singth , Vodafone Business Head, Maharashtra and Goa, reiterated his commitment to grassroots GDFC initiative whilst adding that he was exploring ways of importing European ideas and initiatives to up the profile of the game and help both the Goan and national cause.
Some individual awards were also given out, here is the list below.
AWARDEES
Lifetime Achievers:
- Mr. Visitacio Lobo – Former Male Player
- Mrs. Yolanda De Sousa – Former Female Player
- Mr. F. X. D’Souza – Former Referee
- Mr. Joao Melo – Senior Coach
- Mr. Levino Dias – Junior Coach
- Mr Albert Colaco – Administrator
Upcoming Youth Player (under 20):
- Mr Alesh Sawant
Vodafone Scholarships:
- Pradip Chopdekar – Coach of the Year
- Muren Cruz – Young Promising Trainee (Male)
- Cia Almeida – Young Promising Trainee (Female)
- Sushmita Jadhav – Young Promising Trainee (Female)
- Hanzel Coelho – Most Promising Goalkeeper of the Year
