PANJIM: Elvis Gomes Member Secretary of the Goa Development Football Council (GFDC) today made a passionate request to the Government of Goa to make available the grounds looked after by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs (DSYA) and Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) to the locals.
Addressing the media on the occasion of GDFC’s second anniversary, Gomes pointed out that there were 91 grounds in the small State like Goa and if that number is not enough than what is enough?
“So much of land has been utilized for sports grounds yet the locals are denied their right to play. Football is the official sport of the State. Playing on good surfaces should not be made difficult,” he said.
Gomes recalled that he was in need of the state of the ¬art Bambolim stadium for conducting a fitness test for referees. “I was asked to place Rs 10,000 as a fee for usage of the grass turf between the synthetic tracks. The turf is in a bad shape. The grass has over grown and needs mowing. Imagine Rs 10,000 just for referees to run for their fitness. This must stop,” he stressed.
“Let the grounds be thrown open for the clubs. Liberate them (grounds) from the clutches of bureaucratic hold,” he urged.
“Without referees there cannot be football,” Gomes said, pointing out that 50 per cent of referees are Government servants. “A circular is in force that permits referees to leave work early on match days. With Government backing football the Head of Departments must allow referees to leave work early on match day,” he said.
Chairman of GDFC Dr Rufino Monteiro, recalling that two years back on this date the birth of GDFC took place, said the Council was now running. After the launch of 16 full-fledged centres and nine Associate Centres, the Council launched its Pre¬ Academy, North Goa, at the Duler stadium as a forerunner to its residential academy. The pre¬ academies will house 80 talented kids from the 50 best will be picked for the Residential Academy that will be launched next year.
Currently 3,000 under-12 kids are training under the watchful eyes of 65 coaches.
“The Chief Minister has targeted at least five to seven kids from this pool to make it into India’s 2017 under-¬17 World Cup squad. That’s the Chief Ministers target and are confident that our boys will bring the glory,” Dr Monteiro added.
Sports Secretary Mathew Samuels said he was struck today with a clarity of vision of the work taken up by the GDFC. “The need to throw open the grounds to locals will definitely be taken up, after taking into consideration maintenance, discipline, security etc.,” he said. “The CM has given the GDFC a clean mandate to the GDFC,” he added.
