PANJIM: “Airtel aims at rebranding Goa’s topmost GFA’s Pro League injecting more dynamism aimed at showcasing Goa’s young, talented footballers which in turn will attract spectators in very large numbers so that it becomes Goa’s biggest spectacle,” stated Ashok Ganapathy, Hub CEO Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Bharti Airtel at Calangute, Wednesday.
Procam, who has been helping the GFA for the past 15 years deserve a pat on their back for roping in new sponsors who have shared their new vision for making the Pro League more attractive and as such more appealing for the fans with the result the young Goan footballers would be inspired to raise their game.
“Goans’ passion for football, the official game of the State, is something to be admired at. And, here we are to take it to still greater and higher levels by showcasing the great ability of our football players which will catapult them to be the shining stars of India. We are here to build on all that and also to take it forward,” disclosed the Airtel chief.
The league will be played in two phases. In the first phase, from August 5 to September 21, ten teams will play in a round-robin format, there being nine rounds in all for a total of 45 matches. In the second phase, the top five teams from phase one will play in the Airtel Goa Super League, while the bottom five teams will play in the relegation league. There will be ten matches in each of these leagues, making it a total of 20 matches. All the matches of the first phase will be played at Duler Stadium in Mapusa.
Airtel will also sponsor the Senior Goa State team for Santosh Trophy and the Beach Football Challenge, which has proved to be a big hit among the teams, who love participating in the festive atmosphere that is created around the tournament.
Ashok remarked that Airtel had always promoted football in India and has successfully created a huge platform like Airtel Rising Stars to hone the skills of aspiring enthusiasts. Airtel as a brand continues its associations with sports that appeal to today’s youth and as such, the under-16 Airtel League will also be launched with back up from Manchester United programme in India.
Ajit Ravindran, vice-president of Procam International, highlighted that the new sponsorship also brings with it enhanced prize money, with the team finishing first in the Airtel Super League gaining Rs 2.5 lakh, besides the trophy. The team finishing second in the Airtel Super League will be richer by Rs 1.5 lakh and will also be awarded the trophy.
There are other cash incentives in the second phase of Airtel Pro League, among them, man-of-the-match awards of Rs 5,000 per game in the Super League and man-of-the- match awards of Rs 2,500 each per game in the relegation league. There will also be a bonus cash prize of Rs 25,000 each to the teams that earn promotion from First, Second and Third Divisions.
The rechristened league has also attracted Imperial Blue as the associate sponsor, while Adamo The Bellus will be the new hospitality partner. 92.7 BIG FM will continue to be the radio partner.
Welvin Menezes, Babli Mandrekar, Sanjiv Nagvekar, Alirio Lobo, organising secretary Gajanand Kerkar, all GFA’s executive committee members, Adlair D’Cruz, GFA secretary were present.
Rahul Rodrigues of Procam compered. Anneleishea Da Costa e Pinto, Concept PR, anchored the programme.
