Football is in the DNA of the average Goan. The beautiful game moves them like nothing else does.
The launch of the ISL proved an ideal opportunity for the average Goan to give
voice to their love for the game. The Gaur Army was one of several supporter
clubs that came into existence.
The Heraldwill now partner the Gaur Army,-
the independent platform for fans of FC Goa, and give vpice to their passion
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This association hopes to bring together
readers and fans as they structure their passion for th club through
interactions and activities including travelling for away games
Siddharth Mehta and Conrad Barreto, who
are founding members of the Gaur Army, are exhibiting a confidence that is
heartening. Siddharth says, “I strongly believe that this year we are the
favourites. Our coach has been doing a very good job and he has been supporting
the up and coming players. The club is very serious in promoting the game and
all the junior teams are being trained in a very professional manner. We did
very well in the Durand Cup and beat Pune FC. The future is orange.”
Conrad says plans are afoot to have a fan meet up on September
23, 2019 in Bambolim, where a pre-season game will be played. The Gaur Army, he
says, has around 400 members who travel to all the games. The club believes in
quality over quantity by which he means that they have fans that are willing to
travel to away games and there is a willingness to support developmental teams.
He adds, “We have a women’s team that we support and we have
female fans too.” He echoes the sentiments expressed by Siddharth who feels the
retention of the team from last year would certainly help them gel better and
more importantly help bring the cup home.
The Gaur Army, he says, has a lot of giveaways. A season pass
will be given out to one member of the club following a lucky draw. There are
also 60 members who are platinum pass holders who will travel for away games.
All of them are season pass holders. When asked about the profile of the club
members, he says they are usually all working class. Students, teachers,
families of players all travel for the games together. The club usually travels
by bus to Mumbai or Pune, by train to Kerala and Delhi and Guwahati by flight.
A platinum card entitles them to discounts on travel. T shirts, muffler and a
cap are given to them.
Sayanora Fernandes, who heads the Women’s wing, says that there
are around 25 to 30 ladies who hold platinum cards. The team this year will
wipe away all the frustration and heartbreak the fans have suffered over the
years and win it this year, she asserts, adding, “The cup is coming home this
year; we have a very settled side.”
The Gaur Army is growing by leaps and bounds. It has around
9,000 followers on Instagram. Savio Mesquita, another member of the club,
visited Kochi with the family last year for the match and was present at the
semi-finals and the heart-breaking finals but feels that this year could bring
about a change. He says he will be present at the home games for sure and will
decide on the away games after discussing it with his family.
For
the tens of thousands of FC Goa fans, they will hope this season will mark the
return of Goan football to the very top of Indian football.
