|
The fourth edition of the Little Gaurs League (LGL), organised by the Forca Goa Foundation (FGF), the community wing of ISL side FC Goa, came to a close this Sunday with the Little Gaurs League Super Cup.
The two-day event, held at the Salvador do Mundo Panchayat Ground in Goa, celebrated the best young footballing talent in the state with more than 400 children across 40 teams vying for the title of Super Cup champions. Previously, more than 1200 children from 120 teams participated in the LGL this season, playing a combined 618 matches across three zones, viz. North, South and Vasco. The top teams from the league stage were invited to participate in the Super Cup. This was the latest laurel in a long line of achievements for the Forca Goa Foundation, which launched the Fields of Dreams project earlier this year to provide the grassroots movement in India and Goa with adequate fields. The Gaurs were also handed the Hero ISL Grassroots Award in March. Meanwhile, the youth teams of FC Goa continued to make waves as well, as they emerged champions at the Goa Football Association (GFA)'s state leagues at the U13, U15 and U17 Men's levels, while the U14 Women's Team finished runners-up. Nathaniel D'Costa, Forca Goa Foundation's Senior Manager for Community Football, said, "Organising the LGL Super Cup this time was more challenging than last year because we added a whole new category of competition - the U12 Boys. We needed a lot more space and facilities to conduct it, and I'm grateful for FC Goa's help with their training ground and the floodlights." "For most of the teams and the coaches and parents that accompanied them, playing under the lights was a new experience, and the response has been quite encouraging. I would like to congratulate not only the winners but also everyone else who participated, because above all the LGL is a celebration of the development of the sport and its future, which is all of these youngsters." "Obviously, there are areas where we aim to improve. For instance, we seek to increase the number of zones from the current number of three. Going forward, there are more areas in Goa that we'd like to penetrate - hopefully, the next edition of the Little Gaurs League will see us succeed," D'Costa concluded. Spread across five different age categories in three zones in Goa - the Little Gaurs League hosted mixed-team leagues in the U6, U8 and U10 categories. In addition, an exclusive Boys' League at the U12 level and an exclusive Girls' League at the U13 level were also introduced this season The LGL Super Cup which concluded on Sunday, saw Goan Champs, YFA and Salgaocar FC emerge champions in the U6, U8 and U10 categories respectively. While Super 30 took home the biggest honours in the U12 Boys' category, Vintage 73 Morjim won the U13 Girls' competition. (ANI)
|
