WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: A huge sigh of relief for the State football fraternity as the Goa Football Association has managed to rope in a title sponsor for the Goa Professional League after a span of almost seven years.
“We have finalised on the sponsor for Professional League and the contract will be signed in coming days,” stated GFA President Churchill Alemao after the executive committee meeting held at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, on Friday.
It is learnt that the Selvel and Parallel Thinkers of Kolkata have been approved by the committee members to help in promoting the game in the State.
“A formal function will be held on December 7 for the league launch at Duler Stadium, Mapusa, in the presence of Executive Members and all the participating clubs,” added Churchill.
The sponsor amount is reliably learnt to be approximately 50 lakhs for the top tier league.
“This year the amount is low due to COVID, but in coming years, the amount is expected to increase,” stated Domnic Pereira, Competition Committee Chairman and further added that the league would be played in a shorter format. “There would be just 66 matches this season as the league would be played single legged and there will be demotion, irrespective of whether the first division league would be played or not,” stated Pereira.
The League is tentatively scheduled to kick-off in January 15 with all the matches to be played at Duler Stadium.
“The committee has also decided to increase the number of substitution to five and there is a change in the U-20 players rule wherein now there U-20 players starting the game should complete 180 minutes, instead of 90 minutes,” explained Pereira stating that this move will help the local talent to improve.
While there are standard operation procedures to be followed during the matches, GFA has also streamlined SOP for the league. “The SOPs are framed but they aren’t as stringent as Indian Super League. COVID test is compulsory for officials and players which they will have to produce before the match,” added Domnic.
The Goa Professional League Clubs managers’ meetings will be held on December 11, at 5 pm at Duler Stadium.
While the league announcement was great news for Goan football, Churchill Alemao revealed that the government has sanctioned Rs 50 lakhs through SAG and the same would be made available to the football association within a week’s time.
