Football fiesta at Clube Gaspar Dias
HERALD CORRESPONDENT
MERCES, JUNE 8
With the football World Cup just two days away from kick-off, the fever has begun to catch among the football crazy fans of Goa and to cash in on the extravaganza, several clubs/hotels have added live screening to their menu so that they don’t let go off the opportunity.
However, the Aviation Services Management (ASM) Football Fiesta promises to be a lot different than the others as accompanied by live screening, it promises to promote football awareness among the fans through games, quizzes, contests and a loads of entertainment.
So, for the next one month, from June 11 to July 11, Clube Gaspar Dias at Mira Mar will be virtually transformed into a football arena complete with a stadium-like set up including elevated stands for seating, football branding, large screens, etc so that the spectators get the feel of watching a game live from a stadium.
This was disclosed by Vito Gomes, founder and Managing Director of ASM at a press briefing at the clube on Tuesday.
Reiterating that the aim of organising the event is to spread football awareness and encourage youngsters to develop their skills, Vito said that the event will be a first of its kind on this side of the planet and informed that raking up the moolah has never been the purpose behind the event.
Stating that the sitting capacity of the venue will be 200 persons, Vito informed that there will be two screens at the venue, each admeasuring 12 ft x 9 ft, so that the experience of watching live game remains intact. “Activities will begin before the start of the first match to add to the build up of the game,” he added.
Generally speaking on football scenario in Goa, Vito said that it is nowhere close to Europe or even the Middle-East due to lack of infrastructure and support from the government. He further urged the GFA to convince the government to allocate funds in the budget to support budding talents in the State who cannot afford to buy football kit.
Yolanda de Sousa Kammermeir, who was present at the briefing said that unlike earlier times, now the opportunities have increased tremendously for the youth and urged them to grab them. She, however, added that there are lot of distractions which have made it difficult for youngsters to remain focused.
“The budding youngsters should take example from players like Brandon Fernandes who has shown maturity beyond his age,” Yolanda exhorted and informed that the support of families and close friends goes a long way in giving moral support to the youth.
Speaking on the occasion, Stanley Fernandes, Trade Marketing Manager of Budweiser, said that Budweiser has been associated with FIFA in the promotion of football the world over and that they are proud to be associated with this event. He further informed that Budweiser will sponsor two people from Goa to watch the quarter-finals in South Africa and the winners will be decided at the ASM Football Fiesta.
Footballer Brandon Fernandes also spoke.
