Soccer is the king of all sports in Goa. It dates back to the late 1800’s. It was introduced in Goa by an English priest. At the time Goa was a Portuguese colony & as a result of Colonialism, the sport flourished. In 1900 was the year the first match was played in Goa. A club was formed in 1905 called ‘Boys Social Club’ in Salcette. Then a host of other clubs followed such as Dempo’s & Churchill and so on. In 1959 the Association of Football was formed as a parent organization for all clubs.
The Goa Football Association is responsible for producing professional soccer players. The Association organizes many grass root level coaching camps. Besides that, it initiates training courses for candidates interested in refereeing in soccer as a career. Training courses for every person interested in
Soccer be it him/her a player or not. The training is done at Don Bosco’s Panjim. The Coaches begin with a ‘C’ license which is initiated for 6 months after which there is an evaluation and based on the result the next license is given to the respective coach.
Besides just being like a training school it is also responsible for organizing many soccer tournaments. Especially the U-14, U-17 soccer tournaments and
so on.
These soccer tournaments are also like an exhibition platform for young aspiring soccer players who want to be professionals. At these games, club scouts come and view these games looking out for next generation professional footballers. In addition, Club level Tournaments are organized between the senior teams. The senior teams of the clubs are really authentic. Particularly the teams of Dempo’s which is owned by Dempo Mining Corporation Limited and ‘Churchill Brothers’ which is owned by Churchill Alemao an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) that are the most competitive teams in the league.
Besides just being like a training school it is also responsible for organizing many soccer tournaments. Especially the U-14, U-17 soccer tournaments and so on. These soccer tournaments are also like an exhibition platform for young aspiring soccer players who want to be professionals. At these games, club scouts come and view these games looking out for next generation professional footballers. Besides these Club level Tournaments are organized between the senior teams. The senior teams of the clubs are really authentic. Particularly the teams of Dempo’s which is owned by Dempo Mining Corporation Limited and ‘Churchill Brothers’ which is owned by Churchill Alemao an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) that are the most competitive teams in the league.
As of late, the GFA has swung from good times to great times. The soccer in Goa has been at its peak. There have been bad times as a result of closing down of academies such as the Brazil Football Academy” The exit of Goan Teams from the I-league. As a result of this withdrawal, the teams are now in the GFA Pro Division which is contested by 11 Goan teams. The introduction of the ISL (Indian Super League) in 2014 saw soccer take a glamour turn. The franchisees featured different teams from across the country. This league also brings in retired to Semi- retired players from abroad to add more colour to the league. FC Goa is one of the teams featuring in the ISL.
