MAPUSA: The Goa Football Development Council along with Vodafone India announced the second edition of Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars football festival, at a city hotel, in Panjim, on Friday.
The festival will be a six-month long intra-centre, inter-zonal and league football championship for the GFDC trainees up to the age of 13 years. The tournament will conduct over 1000 matches played across 25 centres in four groups with the final slated for January, next year.
The slogan for the event amply reflects the spirit behind the initiative ‘Yeo Pora, Ghe Bol, Maar Moja, Shoot Goal.’
“The tournament will provide an excellent platform to identify and cultivate young local football talent across the State. The league will showcase over 1000 matches, featuring over 3000 young talented players from the 650 that participated last year which is a major boost, stated Dr Rufino Monteiro, Chairman of GFDC.
Sharing his views on this unique initiative for young and aspiring football talent in Goa, Ishmeet Singh, Business Head, Maharashtra and Goa, Vodafone India said, “The first edition of Vodafone GFDC Rising Stars Football Festival got an overwhelming response with participation from over 650 kids. Vodafone is extremely pleased to extend its partnership with GFDC for second year in a row as the festival gets bigger and better with participation of over 3000 kids featuring in over 1000 matches this year.”
The matches will be played at the centre level and focus more on ‘enjoying the game’, rather than the competition aspect. The qualifying teams from the first phase will play in the second phase in November and December.
Eight teams i.e. two teams from each zone, will battle it out in the inter-zonal.
The matches will be played on GFDC center grounds in Valpoi, Sulcorna, Aldona, Moira, Navelim, Benaulim, Khandepar, Pernem, Arambol, Parra, Arpora, Mayem, Poira, Sanquelim, Savoi Verem, Marcel, Collem, Paroda, Shiroda, Quepem, Ambaulim, Utorda, Devabhag, Amone and Cuncolim on every Fridays and Saturdays at 3.30 p.m.
Earlier, Ishmeet and Dr Rufino felicitated the coaches on the occasion of Teachers Day.
