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A State of the Art National Centre of Excellence in Indian football doesn’t stay a distant dream anymore. On Wednesday (May 9) evening, Mr. Kushal Das, General Secretary of All India Football Federation (AIFF) informed the “Government of Goa is to partner AIFF to create a Centre of Excellence for National Teams across all age groups.”
Mr. Ramesh Tawadkar, Minister for Sports, Goa; Dr. Rufino Monterio, Chairman, Goa State Football Development Council and Mr. Elvis Gomes, Executive Director, Sports Authority of Goa were also present as Mr. Das spoke at a Media Interaction at AIFF Headquarters ‘Football House’ in New Delhi.
“The Government of Goa has already declared football as its State Sport,” Mr. Tawadkar stated. “We intend to create better facilities for the sport. Let the other states also follow suit,” he added.
Under the partnership, the Government of Goa is to provide the land for setting up of a Centre of Excellence in Goa. “The intention stays to model the centre of Excellence on the lines of that we have in developed footballing countries,” Mr. Das maintained.
“The Football Development Council aims to stress on the Youth Development Programme,” stated Dr. Monterio, who’s a Cardiac Surgeon by profession. “The YDP has to be specific and we need to cater to youth from the U-10 level. It’s also a big challenge to develop all weather grounds in Goa,” he maintained. “It’s imperative to have quality coaching staff and medical facilities on all grounds.”
“The Welfare of Retired Footballers also stay on the agenda,” he quipped.
Mr. Gomes lauded Dr. Monterio’s involvement and passion for the development of the sport. “The Government has told us that funds won’t stay a constraint for the project. A fund of Rs. 5 crore has already been allocated,” Mr. Gomes commented.
