PANJIM: Head coaches of Goa professional clubs with fulltime contract with C Licence instead of B Licence will now be allowed for the season 2023-24, following a suggestion to that effect by Panjim Footballers.
The GFA as part of the new Goa Professional League Club Licensing System to be enforced from the 2023-24 season had specified the requirements under sporting, infrastructure, personnel and administrative, legal and financial criterias to be adopted so as to induct professionalism in its working.
Under the personnel and administrative criteria the GFA had proposed that the head coach for 2023-24 and 2024-25 should have full time contract with B Licence while the A Licence would be mandatory for 2025-26 season.
Panjim Footballers president Anthony Vaz, who is also a member of GFA’s Executive Committee, succeeded in convincing that for the forthcoming season 2023-24, C Licence coaches could be allowed and it was accepted. Anthony pleaded that there was a dearth of coaches with B Licence available in the State, that many of them were already contracted by big clubs, and that others were gainfully employed on full time basis as Physical Education professionals and that, moreover, that there were limited options for organising the AIFF’s B Licence courses, so that more coaches could upgrade their licences. As such, the new criteria was deferred for one year only.
The criteria of compulsorily having Under-13, Under-15 youth teams; 10 contracted professional (non-amateur) players for the season upto May 31, 2024 with a minimum of Rs 1,44,000 per annum; amateur players with a minimum of Rs 72,000 per annum (June 1, 2023 to May 31,2024) will be implemented under the new criteria, which was agreed by.
The new criteria is as per the AIFF guidelines which call for running the leagues in a professional manner for which the Licensing Criteria has to be implemented. This would also help the clubs to prepare for the criteria in force for all Second Division I-league, as and when they qualify.
The criterias to be implemnetd are: Sporting – youth development, youth teams, medical care, written contracts. Infrastructure – training facilities for youth and senior team; dedicated club office. Personnel and Administrative criteria – head coach (for this year C Licence), assistant coach, youth coach, team manager, general manager/CEO/secretary, finance officer, media officer, full time physiotherapist. Legal criteria – memorundum of articles, declaration of ownership. Financial criteria – submission of audited/certified statements, no dues certificate, future financial information.
The nomination process will start on May 10 with the GFA’s Licensing Administration sharing the document along with contract drafts on May 15. The submission deadline is July 31. The deadline for final submission in case of need for re-submission as pointed out by the administration is August 15.
