Indian State of the Art Centre of Excellence to be build in Goa

India is set to get its first State of the Art National Centre of Excellence for football in Goa. Earlier today AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das informed that the 'Government of Goa is to partner AIFF to create a Centre of Excellence for National Teams across all age groups.' A big step forward for Indian football!

Ramesh Tawadkar, Minister for Sports, Goa; Dr. Rufino Monterio, Chairman, Goa State Football Development Council; and Elvis Gomes, Executive Director, Sports Authority of Goa; were also present as Kushal Das spoke during a Media Interaction at the AIFF 'Football House' in Dwarka, New Delhi.

"The Government of Goa has already declared football as its State Sport," Ramesh Tawadkar stated. "We intend to create better facilities for the sport. Let the other states also follow suit," he added.

Under the partnership, the Government of Goa is to provide the land for setting up of a Centre of Excellence in the state of Goa. "The intention stays to model the Centre of Excellence on the lines of that we have in developed footballing countries," Kushal Das maintained.

"The Football Development Council aims to stress on the Youth Development Programme," stated Dr. Monterio, who's a Cardiac Surgeon by profession. "The YDP has to be specific and we need to cater to youth from the U-10 level. It's also a big challenge to develop all weather grounds in Goa," he maintained. "It's imperative to have quality coaching staff and medical facilities on all grounds."

"The Welfare of Retired Footballers also stay on the agenda," Dr. Monterio quipped.

Mr. Gomes lauded Dr. Monterio's involvement and passion for the development of the sport. "The Government has told us that funds won't stay a constraint for the project. A fund of Rs. 5 crore (50 Million) has already been allocated," Mr. Gomes commented.

Only recently the state of Goa declared the game of football as its state sport, now they can follow-up on this statement by creating world class infrastructure which will help Indian football in the long run.