PANJIM: Several Goan clubs observed May 15 as the Grassroots Football Day. That's the day designated by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). However, the All India Football federation (AIFF) has earmarked June 23 as the new National Grassroots Football Day.
The GFA planned its statewide grassroots celebrations with 12 programmes from May 13 to 15 under the leadership of its Grassroots and Golden Baby League Committee headed by Francisco Shikeet Nunes of Chicalim. However, the AIFF planned its own, new day, with a view to bolster the grassroots football structure as per its Vision 2047 Strategic Plan. And, June 23 was selected to mark the birthday of legend P K Bannerjee (23-6-1936).
The AFC defined grassroots as "all football that is non-professional and non-elite” and examples include children's football, school or youth football, amateur football, football for disabled players, and even football for veterans." In short, it is the football played by the masses at a level where participation and love of the game are paramount.
Goa's football promotion has taken a beating also due to lack of proper, structured grassroots and youth development programmes for several years now. And, that could perhaps be well one of the reasons why Goa is no longer a powerhouse in Indian football today. The AIFF has now emphasised that grassroots football forms the backbone of the football pyramid, shaping the future of sport. Besides this, it fosters community spirit, promotes physical and mental well-being. Its significance extends far beyond the field, impacting individuals, communities, and society as a whole.
The AIFF must be complimented in launching the flagship grassroots project, the Blue Cubs Programme, the focus being to provide a comprehensive and impactful platform for young footballers at the grassroots level. The AIFF stated "the programme aims to revolutionise grassroots football development by emphasising key aspects such as skill development, talent identification, coach education, and a structured pathway for both regular and elite players at various stages of their development."
The AIFF has big plans and former Arsenal manager and world governing body FIFA's current chief of global football development, Arsene Wenger is expected to play a role in Indian football's grassroots programmes and talent development as the objective is to see that India will ultimately emerge as a new powerhouse of Asian football.
The salient ambition of the roadmap is to see India among the top four footballing nations in Asia, host, one of the top leagues in the continent, and create a vibrant footballing ecosystem. It will ultimately help to revive the glory days of Goan football and see that Goa becomes a powerhouse in Indian football like it was mostly from seventies to late nineties.
Goa has to adopt a new ecosystem ensuring increased competitions at all levels, especially in the youth sector. The introduction of licensing criteria by GFA from this season for the so-called professional clubs, is as such one of the steps in the right direction and it will all depend on how it is implemented. For that to happen, the club organisation culture needs to undergo reforms, with better governance and most importantly restructuring the total number of matches to be played in a season. The youth leagues need to be revamped. It is here that the clubs will have to be brought together to have a uniform and systematic approach.
Without a shade of doubt, the participation at the grassroots and youth development programmes in various age groups, with longer duration, will have to be raised as far as the numbers go. Goa has sufficient number of grounds, playfields and these must be fully utilised asking the Government and especially the SAG to take full responsibility for its proper upkeep and maintenance on a regular basis. And, most importantly, there has to be a cohesion between the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA) which looks after schools sports and various associations.
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has recently said that Goa has all the infrastructure in place. But, look at is maintenance and one knows how awful is its state. in most of the places.
Long-term programmes are needed so that youngsters can grow into professional players. This is where finances do matter also. That said, one needs to keep in mind that a good grassroots programme is extremely vital for a child's sporting development.