TEAM HERALD
SPORTS@HERALD-GOA.COM
PANJIM: The Goa Professional League is scheduled to kick off on August 10 as per the fixtures already released by GFA to the participating clubs. It will be a 10-member league, like in the last year.
The participating teams are – Churchill Bros, Salgaocar, Dempo, Sporting Clube de Goa, Wilred Leisure, Goa Velha, Sesa FA, St Cruz Club of Cavelossim, Margao SC and Tuff Laxmiprasad.
Whilst the draw was released on June 1, giving the fixtures up to the ninth round, a meeting was held with the representatives of the 10 participating clubs today at Patto as a GFA committee headed by its vice-president Elvis Gomes with Bishut Themudo, Babli Mandrekar as members was set up to suggest measures to restructure it, following several problems encountered last season, inclusive of postponements of matches which resulted in the League matches being extended up to May. A notable absentee today was the chairman of the competitions committee Schubert Furtado, who did not attend the meeting today since he was not invited for the same, according to a source.
There were plenty of suggestions put forward by the clubs with the major ones being increase in the price of tickets from Rs 20 to Rs 40 with some entertainment like housie, etc; increase the number of substitutions from two to four to cover the fielding of U-20 players on full time basis, and a double-leg affair, instead of single-leg leading to the division of the teams into two groups of five each to decide the ultimate winner and the team for relegation. This year, it was Vasco Club who got demoted for the first time in their history with Laxmiprasad being promoted.
The cursory suggestion to increase the number of teams from 10 to 12 was shot down by most of the members and as such no discussion was held on the same.
The league would kick off at Duler Stadium in Mapusa since matches could be played even during the rains due to the astro-turf.
All suggestions will now have to be ratified by the Executive Committee of GFA.
