Brasil Futebol Academia to organise Joga Bonito camp & league in Goa

The Goa-based Brasil Futebol Academia (BFA) will organise its 3rd Joga Bonito camp-and-league in April and May at Seraulim, Colva and Taleigao ground from 4 to 6pm.

Brasil Futebol Academia (BFA) is the 'brain-child' of Roberto Mendes Silva and his friend Jose Ramires Barreto, both professional footballers in India who wanted to give something back to the 'Beautiful Game' and came up with an idea of setting up a football academy in Goa. They both worked really hard to make this dream a reality. Roberto Mendes Silva (Beto) and Jose Ramirez Barreto joined hands to give the kids of Goa and other states an opportunity to learn football in India the Brazilian way.

The coaching programme has been designed by the BFA's ex-technical director Juliano Fontana and will be conducted by head coach Rodrigo Mendes Silva along with the BFA's technical staff.

The fundamentals of football, sensational samba moves, along with dribbling and juggling sequences will be taught in the first month. Children will be split into divisions depending on their age, grade and experience. There will be a high ratio of coaches to participants to ensure the children are supervised in a fun and educational environment. The camp will teach the individual fundamentals of football and then combine those skills into team drills.

In the second month, participants will be divided into teams and a competitive league will start creating an enjoyable and fun environment. The camp is open for kids between 6 and 16 years of age.

For details check out Brasil Futebol Academia page on Facebook or contact BFA Office/Elton De Sousa on 9850859497/9960099714 or e-mail bfa_academia@hotmail.com .

Inaugural Goa International Football Table 2013 a big success - Part 2!

Day two of the inaugural Goa International Football Table was an action-packed day full of insightful presentations and seminars focusing on various aspects of Goan and Indian football. Eminent speakers from the Indian and international football fraternity shared their views and discussed solutions on how to make football a more recognized sport in our country.

Listed below is a brief summary of every session conducted at today's summit

Efficient use of stadium infrastructure
The day began with an astute presentation by Paul Fletcher, ex-CEO of Burnley FC, on the 'Efficient use of stadium infrastructure'. Mr. Fletcher not only gave an insight and thoughtful understanding about the infrastructure for football stadiums in England, but also highlighted the importance of how India needs to investigate and learn from their mistakes to help develop good and effective stadium infrastructure in India.

According to Paul Fletcher, who played for Burnley, Bolton Wanderers and FC Blackpool, the Three Buzz Words required for proper infrastructure were: Legacy, Community and Revenue. "While building infrastructure, do not forget to build the people," he said.

Talent Development: Goa, the catalyst & gateway to Indian football success
Asian Football Confederation - Coach education head Mohamed Basir in his presentation briefed the audience on the concept of Talent Development and its importance in football.
Stressing on aspects such as Nature or Nurture, Chance or Design and Quantity or Quality, he spoke about how Goa could be a model state in the field of football. In conclusion, he appealed to football lovers present to remain unified, as in the long run it is this unity which is crucial for the upliftment of Indian football.

Then I took over the panel discussion in which Henry Menezes, CEO of the Western India Football Association, focused on building players and creating pathways for them. He said, "We have to understand whether we need to 'build' players or 'buy' players."

Salgaocar FC secretary Raj Gomes gave a brief understanding of talent development strategies at his club; while Kenny Moyes, Managing Director - Libero Professional Pre-Season Tours Ltd spoke about the participation and consistency of the players towards the sport.

Mariano Baretto, of Goan origin and a UEFA Pro license coach, believes that different opportunities help in shaping young football players' careers. "Our world has produced many fantastic players such as Roonie, Messi and Ronaldo who have contributed towards the sports success and recognition worldwide," said Mariano.

Community Development: Sports (Football) - The simple upliftment of society
Kushal Das, AIFF General Secretary, spoke about the FIFA Football for Hope program, its principle being, "Keeping Communities Connected." He also mentioned about the success of the Goalz Project in Kolkata launched in 2012 as it engaged not only the community but also the local police force.
"Sports, especially football is inspirational and has a global reach. It also teaches us the values of life," Das said.

P.K. Mukherjee, MD of Vedanta SESA FA spoke about football being a community game and stated that theGoa Football Development Council (GFDC) should become the Indian Football Development Council (IFDC) in the future.
"Football is a performing art and can be developed only with passion," says Mukherjee.

According to Sports commentator and writer Novy Kapadia, "Football is Goa's identity." He believes that although Indian football has not been very successful, it does have a long history.

Ajay Shetty, Head training and accreditation, Magic Bus along with Peter Vaz, Sporting Clube de Goa president, had a similar viewpoint on how AIFF needed to show more support towards the development of football. Ajay Shetty further went on to give a brief insight on the working of Magic Bus.

Peter Vaz also added that there were lack of stadiums, which according to him should be small with good road connectivity, and that government associations should be revived towards the upliftment of the sport.

Marketing & Sponsorship: When Football meets Moneyball
The GIFT had a panel discussion on the topic 'Marketing and Sponsorship' in football with Radhakrishnan Sreenivasan, Sports Editor and Senior presenter of Neo Sports, moderating the session which gave a distinguishing aspect between cricket and football.

Keynote speaker for the session, Hass Aminian, Director of New Business Development at Sportfive International (Asia), in his presentation 'When football meets Moneyball' proposed some of the marketing strategies that could enhance the football market. Mr. Aminian, in his presentation gave examples of the English and Spanish models.
Aminian also pointed some of the drawbacks in Indian football. He said that Indians lack participation in any major sports, secondly that dominance in India is linked to national team performance and not at local level and thirdly that India lacks infrastructure to host major events.

"Stop taking steps, look for an elevator," stated, Chairman and Co-founder of Taproot, Agnello Dias. According to him, the Goa Football Association should promote football amongst the people who are interested in the sport rather than the ones already playing.

Valanka Alemao, Churchill Brothers CEO, pointed out that although Bollywood and Cricket has a national front, football still continues to be popular even among Indians. She put forward her opinion about how we needed to package Indian football better to make it more attractive. "Football is the most expensive and attractive ball," she added.

CEO of Sportskeeda Porush Jain stated, "The Indian economy is continuously growing, for the betterment of Indian football, the exploitation of the Indian market is necessary."

Rajesh Kharabanda, CEO of Nivia-Freewill Sports Pvt. Ltd. added to the discussion by suggesting that in order to increase revenue, the clubs needed to increase their fan base.

The Professionals: Upgrading our Competition to Export Stars
GIFT's final session on 'The Professional' began with a presentation by the keynote speaker, R. Sasikumar, Ex-Captain of the Singapore football team, and MD of Red Card Group. Sasikumar in his presentation on 'Upgrading our competition to export stars' gave an example of Japan's rise on the football ground mentioning their 100 years plan 2012.
He also introduced the heroes that changed the face of Spanish and Japanese football. He focused on the need for more I-Leagues that would lead to the success of the national teams. He felt that India needed to invest and commit more economy in a footballer - the parents, clubs, agents and federations. To conclude his presentation he stated, "India needs more players."

Team India coach Wim Koevermans stood-up and appealed to the audience to take inspiration from the Nike logo "Just do it". "You build the best, bring the best and play against the best" said Wim in context to building professionals.

Meanwhile Srinivas Dempo, AIFF Vice-President, GFA and Dempo president, while talking about building professional players, pointed out that in the past 10 years, India has witnessed change but there is still a need for rapid change.

Joshua Lewis, CEO of Kenkre Football Academy, focused on grassrooot level planning and development of player professionalism.

The Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony of the Goa International Football Table was held on Saturday afternoon in the presence of Dr. Rufino Monteiro and the chief guest, Francis D'Souza, deputy CM of Goa.

The closing ceremony began with the sum-up of the two day summit by Udit Sheth - MD & CEO TransStadia, the knowledge partners of GFDC. Followed by the concluding address by Dr. Monteiro in which he thanked all the speakers and delegates and all the exemplary players whilst promising to make the summit an annual event and show-case the progress in the GFDC endeavour taking valuable inputs from the seminar. He acknowledged the participation of the Bollywood star, Suniel Shetty and current India skipper, Sunil Chhetri during the parade held earlier in the day.

The ceremony followed with a speech by the chief guest, wherein he commented on the efforts put in by the GFDC towards popularizing football. "Rufino Monteiro is on a very serious mission and will take the right step in the right direction to achieve success."

Thereafter the 1978 National School Games gold medalist team was then felicitated - the Manager…John Viegas, Baptist Fernandes, Peter Miranda, Ignacious Dias, Sarto Baptista, Agnelo Fonseca, Joseph Cardozo, Tadeo Barretto, William Machado, Caitano D'Souza, Caitano D'Souza and the captain, Edmund Mascarenhas who was overwhelmed that their heroics in the freezing cold of Srinagar were finally recognised by the government through GFDC.

The function concluded with the vote of thanks by Kennedy D'Silva - Executive Secretary of the Goa Football Development Council.

Inaugural Goa International Football Table 2013 a big success - Part 1!

The inaugural Goa International Football Table was held on March 15/16 at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa. The two day summit focused on various aspects of football such as infrastructure of football at the grassroot level, general Indian Football Development, Creating a New Sport: Beach Soccer, Efficient Use of Stadium Infrastructure, Talent Development, Community Development, Marketing and Sponsorship and Upgrading our Competition.

The first half of the session kicked off with an introduction by host Sonali Chander wherein the moderator, Stanislaus D'Souza introduced the panelists - Dr. Robin Petersen, Rajeev Piramal, Jovito Lopes and Sioulas Anastasios for the session. Mr. Petersen, CEO of South African Football Development Agency & Ex-CEO South African Football Association gave a brief introduction and background to the South African football scenario.

"Football has an incredible power to unite countries and to achieve success in football, funds had to be created along with business, government and football partners. This success would change the nation forever," Peterson said.

He shared the technical master plan of South Africa 2022 in which he said it would create a virtuous cycle of success and would unite the nation for national pride.

Rajeev Piramal, Owner of Pune FC and also the Vice-Chairman and MD of Peninsula Land Ltd., in his opening statement said, "There is lot to learn from the SAFA but at the end of the day, they are our competitors." He also stressed on the development of infrastructure justifying that infrastructure does not only mean good grounds and good facilities but also good coaches and good medical facilities.

Sioulas Anastasios, coach of Sesa Football Academy, stressed on the need for the development at the base level; while the Sports Editor of the Herald newspaper, Jovito Lopes stated that one of the reason for failure of football grabbing most eyeballs is the large fan loyalty to the international clubs rather than Indian clubs. He also said that not only the government support, but also Private Public Partnership (PPP) would help in the development of Football in India.

Thereafter Scott O'Donell (AIFF National Academies Technical Director) in his presentation, stressed on the development of football at the grassroot level. With context to this, he said that "This should have started 20 years back." He also proposed the Grassroot development plan for football in India.

Then the Goan Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar in his brief address spoke about football in a nutshell. With a sporty spirit he said, "Football gets you through life besides work."

Dr. Rufino Monteiro, Chairman of the Goa Football Development Council, expressed his gratitude towards the Honorable Chief Minister for his dedication and commitment in making football the official sport of the state, not just in words but also in action. "Football is not a fashion statement but it's about passionate dedication towards the sport," he said.

He further said that "Goa's aim is to produce good players and that GFDC is working towards it. Studies done in Indian cities reveal that football now attracts three times as many viewers as cricket, more so because today's youth want a fast, exciting game and 90 minutes of football ideally fits into their hectic lifestyle. A Nielsen survey in 2010 found that 47% of India's over 1.2 billion population described themselves as football fans. Interestingly, football also attracts the second highest sports sponsorship in India, out-ranking tennis, badminton, boxing, wrestling and athletics where India boasts of world class athletes, some even champions. There is so much to do to develop football in India."

The session ended with the launch of the Draft Goa Football Policy and the GFDC publication, which many hope will take Goan and Indian football onto the next level.

More in part two about the second day of the inaugural Goa International Football Table.

Topics at Goa International Football Table on March 15/16

The Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) will organize the football specific conference under the title 'Goa International Football Table' (GIFT) on March 15/16, 2013 with a view to catalyse the football industry.

Topics at the inaugural GIFT will be

Infrastructure – "Goa India's new football infra story"
Sports infrastructure India needs to be developed to match international standards for India to develop as a sporting nation. According to the VII All India Education Survey, only half of the primary schools in India have playing fields and less developed countries like Nigeria provide better sport facilities. The need of the hour is work at the grass root level. A strategic implementation of new ideas will help improve the condition of all sports in India. How can Goa be the pioneer of developing Football Infrastructure?

Talent development + Academy – "Goa, the Catalyst and Gateway to Indian Football Success"
In India, there are few hotbeds for football talent, Goa being one of them. A major reason for the same might be because football is embedded in Goan culture. But is this enough? New training methods and ways to groom talent are emerging each day. What needs to be done for the future so that Goa continues to produce more talent at the junior and senior levels? Are there any international examples that we need to look at?

Community development / social upliftment – "Sports, the simple upliftment of society"
Sporting events are known to play a massive role in promoting the culture of sports in society. Besides the economic impact of sporting event, the benefits cascade to the grassroots level. Is there any correlation between sporting success and Human Development Index? What role can a sport like football play to teach values of life to the next generation of Goa? How?

Marketing and sponsorship – "When football meets moneyball"
It is common knowledge that lion's share of India's media monies meant for sports sponsorship go to cricket. In the recent past few large corporates have sponsored sports that do not enjoy the mass appeal of cricket. Is this philanthropy or are these strategic investments? For football in Goa to flourish, what needs to be done so that regional and national companies look at football as an investment and not a mere CSR activity?

The Professionals – "Upgrading Our Competition to Export Stars"
Few footballers from India have had the opportunity to play in mature football markets. Recently, India Under-19 footballer Brandon Fernandes from Goa had a trial with Reading FC in UK. But is this just another flash in the pan? How can we create more 'stars'? What do we need to do so that someday a Goan footballer would play in one of the top football leagues in the world?

GFDC to organise inaugural Goa International Football Table on March 15/16

The Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) yesterday announced that it is organizing the first football specific conference in India on March 15/16, 2013 with a view to catalyse the football industry.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will release the maiden football policy of the state, a first of its kind that will delineate a structured approach towards Goa's culture and help develop a football-based ecosystem. Taking note of the fact that football is hugely popular all over the state, the Chief Minister announced last year that football would be the official sport of the state of Goa.

The inaugural 'Goa International Football Table' (GIFT) will also lay the foundation to initiate vital dialogue on the importance of football in relation to the socio-economic development of Goa. Government officers, officials of football federations, clubs, players and coaches, members of the media, sponsors, brands and sports investors will attend the event.

Speaking about the Goa International Football Table, Dr. Rufino Monteiro, Chairman of the Goa Football Development Council, said, "Indian players possess immense talent, which needs to be nurtured in the right manner for them to shine. The inaugural Goa International Football Table is – for this reason – an important part of GFDC's multiple steps to channelize talent with the available infrastructure, facilities in the country and across the globe. The conference will be a landmark event in Goa and herald the beginning of a brand new journey in the development of football in India."

Elvis Gomes, Executive Director of the Sports Authority of Goa, Vice-President of the Goa Football Association, and Member Secretary of the Goa Football Development Council, said, "Over the years, Goa has been synonymous with good quality, skilled football. Through the Goa International Football Table, we are here to take it a step forward to help develop the game and present players across India multiple opportunities to excel. We are confident that the event will play a crucial role in altering the course of the game for its stakeholders."

The theme for the 2013 conference will be 'Home Grown Heroes', and eminent speakers from across the world representing different organizations in the global sports industry will deliberate India's pending emergence on the global footballing platform. GIFT will create a annual framework and an environment for investment in the sport, networking within the community and create a interface for the stakeholders. Discussions on topics ranging from talent, community development, competitions and infrastructure creation to professionalising the sport and marketing will be organized.

The 'GIFT Awards' will endeavour to honour and recognize young achievers in Goan football along with current and past players for life time achievement, players with promise, referee of the year, administrator of the year, and coach of the year awards. The winners will receive prize money and a trophy. GIFT intends to create corporate interest in the state to help support initiatives that facilitate the overall growth of football. It will also attract investment towards developing the sport at the grassroots and make Goa a football powerhouse and role model state in India.

The first edition of GIFT has received tremendous support from knowledge partner TransStadia, and will be promoted by football magazine 90 minutes along with online partner Sportskeeda.

Goa Pro League: Vasco SC relegated for first time ever

Vasco Sports Club stand relegated from the Goa Professional League after relegation rivals Goa Velha SC won 1-0 against Wilred Leisure SC yesterday, the first relegation of the people's club from the top tier of Goan football since its inception in 1951.

The demise of Vasco SC, which was formed in 1951 by residents from the port town of Vasco da Gama in Goa which included the Portuguese garrison stationed there formed the club called Clube de Desportos Vasco da Gama, has been happening for years with the club struggling since the 1980s with patches of success in-between, especially around the millennium when the club made it to the old National Football League (now I-League).

This season the club officials hoped by roping in a sponsor in the NRB Group and a foreign coach in Serbian Davor Berber, but things went wrong from the start with the team never ever able to settle in with interim coach Richard Sanchez not given time and even under Subrata Bhattacharjee Jr the club wasn't able to regroup and finished with only four points from 13 matches.

Interestingly though relegated from the local Goa Pro League, Vasco SC will play in the preliminary round of the 2nd Division I-League's Group C alongside Dodsal FC (Mumbai), Eagles FC (Kerala), Hindustan FC (Delhi), Kalighat Milan Sangha (Kolkata), Luangmual FC (Mizoram), South United FC (Bangalore) and Southern Samity (Kolkata).

One can only hope for Vasco SC and Goan football that the club regroups next season in the Goan First Division to be back a year later in the Goa Pro League.

Churchill Brothers to hold open Under-20 Trials on Saturday

Goan I-League side Churchill Brothers Sports Club will be holding open trials for their Under-20 youth team on Saturday, February 16 from 3.30 pm onwards at the Cansaulim Sports Complex in Cansaulim.

Boys born on January 1, 1993 or after are allowed to participate in the open trials for the clubs Under-20 team which will participate in the Under-20 I-League and invitational tournaments.

On Saturday afternoon please report at the venu with their birth certificates and own playing kit.


Churchill Brothers Under-20 Trials Details

DATE: February 16
TIME: 15.30 IST onwards
VENUE: Cansaulim Sports Complex, Cansaulim
WHO CAN TAKE PART: Boys born on or after 1/1/1993 (U-20)

67th Santosh Trophy: Goa name final 20 players squad

The Goa Football Association has named their final 20 players squad for the 67th edition of the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy which is being played from February 1 to March 3 in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

Kingfisher continues to sponsor the Goa state football team for the Santosh Trophy, which hopes to regain the trophy which it hasn't won in years.

Goa have been drawn in Group D alongside Chhattisgarh and Haryana with the matches to be played in Kochi from February 14 onwards.


GOA

Jayganesh Goltekar (Captain), Macklas Moraes, Reagan Julius Alemao, Melroy Fernandes, Bonny Nisso, Angel Baretto, Valinto D'Silva, Wellington Fernandes, Marcos Peixoto, Velito D'Cruz, Inacio Colaco, Girish Naik, Marcos Fernandes, Ashley Araujo, Joston Lourenco, Perryson Rebello, Joe Rodrigues, Agnel Colaco, Shelton Dias, Jerose Oliveira

Standbyes
Presley Mascarenhas, Melvin Lobo, Valerio Rodrigues, Lenny Pereira

Officials
Anthony De Souza (Coach), Mathew D’Costa (Assistant coach), Sebastiao A. Noronha (goalkeeper coach), Brial Colaco (Physio), Babli Mandrekar & Gajanan Kerkar (Manager)

PHOTOs: Tilak Maidan reconstruction work, I-League CEO visit

Vasco's Tilak Maidan is current undergoing renovation and I-League CEO Sunando Dhar visited the ground yesterday to have a look at the ongoing work. Though the timeframe had to extended, the hope is that Tilak Maidan will host I-League matches before the end of March 2013.

Beach Soccer set to launch in India by Beach Soccer Worldwide

Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) is set to organize India's first professional Beach Soccer Championship in Goa. The Goa Football Association (GFA) and the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) are backing the officially sanctioned event, which will become a bi-annual feature in India. The tournament will see the participation of prominent players from Goa's popular football clubs and other prominent teams from around the country.

This first edition of the tournament will be held in Goa from February 7 to 10 February in accordance with official sporting rules as laid out by BSWW. The tournament boasts of an exciting format of the sport of soccer, one that requires a fun surrounding, the right attitude and minimal equipment.

The Teams will comprise of 10 players each – 5 on field and 5 as substitutes. The duration of play will include three periods of 12 minutes each, with a break of 3 minutes. In case of a tie at the end of regular time, there's a 3-minute extra time, before the penalty shootout. The Beach Soccer tournament in February 2013 will see the teams battle it out for a grand prize of Rs. 2 lakhs and will take home the champions trophy. This is the first step towards building a strong and scalable talent pool for this young and exciting sport.

Mumbai-based TransStadia is investing and managing the much-awaited sporting event in an attempt to introduce and develop the sport in India that is already played in 75 countries within the six FIFA Confederation zones. Over fifty soccer teams from across the country are all set to descend on Goa's beaches and battle it out in a sport that was on born on the beaches of Brazil. Four world-class pitches and a world-class arena will be set up to give spectators' an exhilarating experience, using the T-Box modular stadia technology.

Delighted to be associated with the event, Shrinivas Dempo, Goa FA President, stated, "Considering the ready infrastructure available for Beach Soccer in Goa, and the available talent, we are excited to be associated with this sport. Beach Soccer will serve as a natural academy for our footballing community. Football has been declared Goa's official sport and we are proud to give it a new dimension through this championship."

Commenting on Beach Soccer in India, Dr Rufino Monteiro, Chairman of Goa Football Development Council, said, "We are delighted to be part of this new and exciting initiative and welcome Beach Soccer to India in this grand form. It offers local talent an excellent platform to display their skills and work towards making this a career opportunity. We would like to encourage more of such trendsetting events and increase the popularity of the format in the seasons to come. Goa is an ideal natural home, to launch this sport in this manner."

Joan Cusco, Beach Soccer Worldwide Executive Vice-president, expressed, "We are proud to see this sport take up in the traditional capital of football in India, and believe this is a giant step towards India’s participation in Beach Soccer. We hope to see more talent emerging from India, and look forward to India’s participation on the global stage. We congratulate the authorities in taking such pro-active steps towards this sport."

For registering your team, log on to www.beachsoccer.in or www.barefootfest.com . Registration is for free!

Goa-based Brasil Futebol Academia players join Pro clubs!

The Goa-based Brasil Futebol Academia (BFA) will be seeing seven of their players playing professional football this season. The BFA's aim is to develop local talent through Brazilian ways of coaching.

The following seven players have joined professional clubs this year: Alesh Sawant (on loan to Churchill Brothers SC), Faisal Shaikh, Bitu Singh, Jyotesh Palkar, Rajat Chopdekar (all Vasco Sports Club) and Parshuram, Prakash Khatri (both Goa Velha SC). Last season Rahul Kandulkar, Milind Shinde and Rohan Sagar Kamble had joined Vasco SC last season and have been retained by the club.

All of these former Brasil Futebol Academia players are expected to feature pretty heavily for their new clubs in the Goa Professional League this season.

"Playing all over Goa and learning from professional coaches and players along the way has been amazing," said Alesh Sawant, who is currently on loan to Churchill Brothers. He also thanked the BFA head coach Rodrigo Mendes Silva and other coaches for their support in honing his talent.

"The high standard of coaching and great playing opportunities at BFA was fundamental in enabling me to develop as a player and secure a professional contract," said new Vasco SC player Bitu Singh.

"We're delighted that our players will have the opportunity to play for professional clubs at such a young age. It will mean that they are playing at a higher level than and competing against professional teams. It's providing a chance for players to play at an elite level and progress on to a professional playing career," the Brasil Futebol Academia said in a release.

The 2012/2013 season will see a fresh intake of hungry young players joining the Brasil Futebol Academia for a chance to go pro. This season ten new players will join the 20 existing boys to form the nucleus of the Academy's Under-18 and Under-16 squads.

Salgaocar's launch new logo & anthem

One of Goa's most successful football teams will from now on be known as Salgaocar Football Club instead of Salgaocar Sports Club. The new club logo and club anthem were launched at a function at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa at Miramar Beach in Panjim, Goa last night in the presence of esteemed dignitaries from the field of sports and politics.

The Chief Minister of Goa Manohar Parrikar unveiled the new Club Logo of Salgaocar FC in ihe Presence Of club president Shivanand V. Salgaocar, the club coach Karim Bencharifa and captain Luciano Sabrosa.

The new logo has a crest (symbol of glory), mining tools (foundation of the Salgaocar Group), a conch (symbol of new hope and auspicious beginnings) and a ribbon with fire (indication of pride and passion); while the tagline reads "More than a game, it's our passion."

As per the AFC Club License guidelines Salgaocar FC is no longer a corporate division of V.M. Salgaocar & Bro Pvt. Ltd. but a separate legal entity and as part of the restructuring and strenghtening of the football team it has also received a new club logo and anthem.

"Although we keep innovating and developing, our traditions, our values and our commitment to Football and to Goa remain the same," said president Shivanand Salgaocar, whose father V.M. Salgaocar had founded Salgacar SC in 1956.

On the occasion vice-captain Rocus Lamare (longest serving player at Salgaocar's) and Nicolau Colaco (accelerated growth) along with Karanjit Singh and Francis Fernandes (members of Nehru Cup winning Team India) were presented special mementos by the club.

Airtel Rising Stars - Goa: Joel, Akeraj & Endurance make finals!

Joel Fernandes from Holy Cross High School, Siolim; along with Akeraj Martins and Endurance Chukwuma both from Don Bosco High School, Panaji were adjudged as the three 'Airtel Rising Stars' at the Jaipur talent hunt that concluded at the city’s St. Xavier’s School Football Ground. The players were selected on criteria based on the aspects mentioned in the Manchester United Scouting Guidelines.

Gavin Pinto from Saraswat Vidyalaya HSS, Khorlim was selected among all the goalkeepers. Gavin will join keepers from the western region for the next level trials for goalkeepers on August 22 in Mumbai.

The experienced and watchful eyes of the coaches judged the players on their performance, taking into consideration their physical and mental strengths, expertise in position, and technical acumen. Based on their expertise in the city camp Joel Fernandes, Akeraj Martins and Endurance Chukwama were selected. The three footballers from Goa will join players from 15 other centres to participate in the six-day final selection trial, scheduled to take place in Bangalore this September.

Ramesh Menon, the CEO for Maharashtra & Goa at Bharti Airtel, said, "Football is the most popular sport in Goa and most youth start early with kick-offs. Airtel Rising Stars program will promote football among these young football enthusiasts. The enthusiasm of young players that we witnessed in Goa was amazing."

The 115 footballers who were shortlisted on Day one but failed to make it to the camp will get another opportunity to make their 'Airtel Rising Stars' dream come true next season. They will also receive Manchester United certificates, signed by none other than Sir Alex Fergusson.

Launched in association with Manchester United, 'Airtel Rising Stars' is a rigorous scouting program that will cover 16 cities across India and will choose 12 talented footballers who get the chance-of-a-lifetime to attend a week long training camp with Manchester United in Old Trafford, England.

The three best players from Goa will join 45 other players, who will be divided into four teams of 12 each and will be tested on all parameters (including physical attributes, individual skills, match situations and their performances in actual matches) before the 12 best players are chosen to travel to Manchester United for a week and to train alongside the Manchester United Academy team.

Airtel Rising Stars - Goa: Set for August 18/19 trials

The Airtel Rising Stars programme, a nationwide under-16 soccer talent hunt, will hold its Goan-leg over the weekend of August 18/19 at the Poriat Ground in Calangute.

Interested children born on or after 1st January, 1996 can register through the official Facebook Fanpage www.facebook.come/airtelsoccer . Forms can also be collected from the Goa Football Association at GFA office, 5th Floor, Atmaram Commercial Complex, Opp Nova Goa Hotel, Panaji, Goa 403 001.

Also local Goans schools have been invited to send their top 12 footballers in the same age group to the open trials. The schools have been asked to send in their list of participants to the above address by sending a written letter to the GFA office address listed above by August 10.

Out of all applicants who appear on the first day, 120 boys will be short listed and called back on Day two (August 19) for further individual screening, while at the end of the second day there will be three finalists from Goa, who would then participate in the national finals.

The Airtel Rising Stars programme is spread over three months with the talent hunt being conducted in 16 Indian cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Panaji, Kolkata, Bangalore, Calicut, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Shillong, Pune, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad and Jaipur, all with the support of the respective State and District Football Associations.

Launched in association with Manchester United, 'Airtel Rising Stars' is a rigorous scouting programme that will cover 16 cities across India and choose 12 talented footballers who will get the chance-of-a-lifetime to attend a week long training camp with Manchester United in Old Trafford, England.

The best three players from each of the 16 cities will be picked to attend a final six-day camp-cum-selection trial conducted by coaches from Manchester United. These 48 players will be divided into four teams of 12 each and will be tested on all parameters (including physical attributes, individual skills, match situations and their performances in actual matches) before 12 of the best players are chosen to travel to Manchester United for a week and to train alongside the Manchester United Academy team.

Goa Football Association's AGM

The Goa Football Association held its yearly Annual General Meeting at the Clube Tennis de Gaspar Dias in the state capital Panjim yesterday.

One of the main topics at the AGM was the performances of states teams at the Santosh Trophy and youth tournaments which in the recent past has been far from satisfactory. A focus would be given to a more professional approach and not short-term preparations once teams are announced. The coaching and competitions committee would be involved to make the necessary corrections.

The GFA also applauded the decision of the Goan state government to make football the state sport of Goa and ideas were exchanged as to how the GFA can improve football in Goa by working together with the newly formed Goa State Football Development Council (GSFDC).

The infrastructure situation was also discussed with the GFA set to work with the GSFDC to develop necessary grounds and training facilities. The GFA informed those present that the Duler ground would be ready by November following the delay in installation of the artificial turf pitch, while the federation had been informed by its vice-president Elvis Gomes who also happens to be the SAG ED that government had assured him to have a small-size stadium at Campal ready in two years time.

Meanwhile a grand total of 106 GFA officials and organisers were felicitated for their contribution to Goan football. The list included 38 from Bardez, 42 from Salcete, 13 from Ilhas and 13 from Mormugao who have worked tirelessly for many years to organise GFA matches which stands at 968 matches last season.

The GFA president Srinivas Dempo also paid homage to the three members of the Goan football fraternity who sadly passed away in the last season - Adolfo Viegas, a former GFA general secretary who played a key role in the early development of the Association; Duler stadium football manager Jerome Fernandes who looked after the GFA's home stadium with aplomb and Antonio Colaco who also provided yeoman services to the Association.

Is the upcoming I-League set to face venue problems?

The 2012/13 edition of the I-League, India's professional football league, is set to kick-off sometime in October 2012 after the conclusion of the 2012 Federation Cup. But the sixth edition is set to face venue and infrastructure problems of unknown proportions.

It is already known that Goa's Nehru Stadium, also known as Fatorda Stadium, in Margao is set for major renovation work ahead of next years Lusofonia Games. This means the stadium will not be available for the whole duration of the I-League and with the Duler ground in Mapusa still work in progress as it is getting an artificial turf under the FIFA 'Win in India with India' programme, this leaves only Vasco's Tilak Maidan as an I-League venue in Goa for the four participating clubs - Dempo SC, Churchill Brothers SC, Salgaocar SC and Sporting Clube de Goa.

Mumbai's Cooperage ground is also part of FIFA's 'Win in India with India' programme. There the artificial turf is already in use and through another FIFA grant the Cooperage is getting upgraded with proper stands plus a floodlighting system. Only as per WIFA CEO Henry Menezes' assessment it will not be ready to host I-League matches before November 2012. This means Air India, Mumbai FC and promoted ONGC might have to play their first few home matches in Pune or start with a number of away ties.

Now in Kolkata the Saltlake Stadium had its problems last season with floodlights which resulted in matches having to be played in the afternoon heat due to the need of daylight and to avoid floodlight failure which has been reoccurring since September 2004. West Bengal Sports Minister Madan Mitra promised the IFA, the I-League clubs and football lovers that the archaic floodlights would be replaced by the start of the next I-League, but that now looks to be in danger with the minister not willing to give any final date. This could mean further afternoon matches in the Saltlake Stadium in the new I-League season for East Bengal Club, Mohun Bagan AC, Prayag United SC and the Pailan Arrows.

The above leaves the I-League with 11 of their 14 clubs having stadium issues at the start of the I-League season with Pune FC hopefully not facing similar problems with their floodlights as last season and United Sikkim FC's home town of Gangtok not being off limits due to bad weather in the winter months.

It's a difficult time to plan out things for the I-League...

Goa Football Coaches Association formed

As a first in Indian football the Goa Football Coaches Association was formed a few days ago and yesterday they held their first meeting at the Nehru Stadium in Margao to elect their office bearers and they elected Dempo SC's successful coach Armando Colaco as the GFCA's first-ever president.

"This association was long overdue. We will work for the betterment of coaches across the state and also play a role in raising the bar," said Armando Colaco.

Present on the occasion were Goan coaches who have got the AFC coaching licence and the association is open to coaches who have AFC Pro, 'A', 'B' and 'C' licences.

Colaco further added the association will also organise seminars and camps for the promotion of the game, besides holding talks with the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA) on a priority basis besides registering with the Societies Act.

Earlier in Kolkata Bengali coaches had tried to form an association, but the efforts of some had failed; while the players for a few years have been having their own body, the Football Players Association of India.


The GFCA Office Bearers

President: Armando Colaco
Vice-Presidents: Brahmanand Shankwalkar, Marcus Anthony Pacheco
Secretary: Savio Madeira
Assistant Secretary: Mariano Dias
Treasurer: Peter Vales
Members: Derrick Pereira, Mauricio Afonso, Mahesh Lotlikar, Mathew D'Costa, Cajetan Fernandes, Baptist Fernandes, Pascoal Pereira, Anthony de Souza

Dempo SC announce squad for 2012/13 season

I-League champions Dempo SC have finalised their squad for the 2012/13 season except for their foreigners as Nigerian striker Koko Sakibu has been retained while Japanese playmaker and striker Ryuji Sueoka signed from rivals Salgaocar SC, but the two other foreigner slots remain to be filled.

On Monday, July 9 a team meeting was held under head coach Armando Colaco at the Dempo SC headquarters with July 15 being the day that the teams pre-season training will kick-off at the University Ground, Taleigao. A small induction ceremony was held for the new recruits and all players received their new kits.

Amongst those missing were Godwin Franco, who is currently at a training stint in Germany; youngster Romeo Fernandes has been given an extra week holiday after the AFC Under-22 Championship qualifiers, while the two foreigners Ryuji Sueoka and Koko Sakibo are expected shortly in Goa after obtaining their visas.

Dempo SC kick-off their season with the season opening GFA Charity Match against Goa Professional League runners-Up Salgaocar SC on August 15 at the Raia ground. The kick-off is slated for 16.00 IST.


DEMPO SC

Goalkeepers
Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Laxmikant Kattimani, Tyson Caiado, Luis Xavier Barreto, Reagan Juliao

Defenders
Debabrata Roy, Selwyn Fernandes, Creson Antao, Marcus Peixoto, Samir Naik, Valeriano Rebello, Rowilson Rodrigues, Covan Lawrence, Mahesh Gawli, Jessel Carneiro, Shallum Pires, Bharat Thapa (Dempo Under-20), Jeovito Fernandes (Dempo Under-20), Vincy Fernandes (Dempo Under-20)

Midfielders
Peter Carvalho, Godwin Franco, Climax Lawrence, Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Romeo Fernandes, Nicolau Borges, Aniston Fernandes (Dempo Under-20), Nickson Castanha (Wilfred Leisure SC, Goa), Joe Rodrigues, Basileo Rego (Goa Velha SC), Aaron Fernandes, Seriton Fernandes (Dempo Under-20), Micky Vaz (Dempo Under-20), Mandar Rao Dessai (Dempo Under-20)

Strikers
Koko Sakibu, Joaquim Abranches, Ryuji Sueoka (Salgaocar SC), Joy Ferrao, Cliffton Gonsalves, Myron Fernandes (Dempo Under-20)

Brasil Futebol Academia starts its Futsal program in Margao tomorrow

The Goa-based Brasil Futebol Academia (BFA) will start their program 'Futebol de Salao' (Futsal program) tomorrow in Margao at the Chowgule Sports and Fitness Centre's Futsal Court 'Tigers Ghol'. The program is intended for children between the age of six to 14 and it will be held every Monday and Wednesday from 16.00 to 18.00 IST.

The Futsal program has been put together by the Brasil Futebol Academia's new Technical Director Juliano Fontana and he will be assisted in coaching the kids by BFA head coach Rodrigo Mendes Silva, who happens to be the brother of Churchill Brothers' star Roberto Mendes Silva (better known as Beto) and it was Beto along with Jose Ramirez Barreto who had started the BFA a few years back.

The children will be divided into different groups depending on their age, grade and experience. As participants the children will receive an official BFA jersey, shorts and stockings.

Those interested to participate contact 9850859497, 9960099714 or email at bfa_academia@hotmail.com or at www.facebook.com/BrasilFutebolAcademia .

Sesa Football Academy starts own football school

Goa's Sesa Football Academy has launched the Sesa Football School for under-14 boys who will be trained at the Academy's own training facility in Sirsaim. The MD of Sesa Goa P.K. Mukherjee launched the new venture of the Sesa Football Academy yesterday under which they aim to find talent who in future could be inducted into their residential academy.

The first batch of the Sesa Football School would include 28 boys studying at schools in Bicholim, Thivim and Sirsaim close the SFA facility. The boys would get training twice a week for the next two years from SFA coaches and would go on to represent the SFA at Goa Football Association sanctioned tournaments.

The aim of the Sesa Football School is to find and train talent from a younger age to develop them into better footballers.

Currently the Sesa Football Academy has a senior team which plays in the I-League Division 2 and the Goa Professional League, while a junior side takes part in the Goa leagues besides age group tournaments in the state.

On the occasion of the Sesa Football School launch, Sesa Goa also felicitated Adil Ahmed Khan, an alumni of the Sesa Football Academy, who now plays for Sporting Clube de Goa and represented Team India at the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal earlier this year. Adil was given a cheque of Rs 100,000 (1 lakh) as a token of appreciation for his achievements.