It’s no secret that Goa loves football. If seeing cars with FC Goa branding drive by, and almost every public football ground perpetually occupied with players and spectators wasn’t enough, we now have a Konkani film that glorifies the triumphs, tribulations, and ‘glory’ of the sport. Today Goa celebrates its Statehood Day, the day when Goa finally became a state back in 1987. In honour of Statehood Day, we’re going to highlight a different state symbol every day for the next few days – starting with the State sport, Football. What better way to celebrate football than to laud the amazing work being done by the Forca Goa Foundation. To keep the spirit of the game strong and alive amongst the youth, The Forca Goa Foundation was founded in March of 2017 as a sister organisation of FC Goa. The Foundation adopted its name from the club’s war cry which stands for the ‘Force of Goa’, as the Foundation aims to empower the local community to be a Force for sustainable development in Goa.
The Foca Goa Foundation is an NGO based in Goa that aims to use football to mobilize, empower, and connect communities for the positive development of individuals and Goa. They currently conduct free football coaching for 1200 children and youth across Goa. They also work with an additional 3827 students through festivals and 2937 students through statewide leagues. These students then go on to participate in competitions across the country, representing Goa. One such competition is the recently held Global Goals World Cup that was held in February this year. The FC Goa women’s team representing Forca Goa Foundation were crowned champions of the Global Goals World Cup which was held in Mumbai, at Fr. Agnel Multipurpose School and Junior College. Twenty Four all-women teams competed in the football event which took place for the first time in India.
Being champions at the local level, this team of talented Goans will now represent the country on the Global stage in New York. But they need our help to get there. The Global Goals World Cup is a sporting event hosted all over the globe that aims to create awareness and celebrate entities that champion the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, as well as drive progress and change in their communities. In order to get the girls team to New York, the Forca Goa Foundation has started a fundraising campaign, looking to raise Rs 10 lakh. This money will go towards travel, food, and accommodation for the team for the three days that they are going to be in New York.
Given the fact that most of these girls haven’t travelled out of the country, just the prospect of flying to New York is exciting. Ishita Godinho, who manages the Community and Women’s development initiatives for Forca Goa Foundation says, “Some of these girls don’t even have passports, and they are making them now for the first time because this is literally a dream come true. That is what the Forca Goa Foundation is, it’s a non-profit organisation that creates positive change through football.” Raising these funds seem like an uphill battle, especially since it’s a rather large amount, and time is limited. Godinho says, “These girls are playing to create a better world. They are the inspiration for little girls to dream, and to believe that those dreams can come true.”
The campaign is already live and will be for the next 30 days. If you would like to contribute towards helping these talented girls represent Goa and India in New York, you can visit the campaign page here. Every little bit helps. Donations are restricted to INR only at this point and can be made using credit/debit card, net banking, UPI, or direct bank transfer. For more information, you can contact the Forca Goa Foundation. To see the Forca Goa Foundation girls in action, hit play below.
