Dividing the future from tea leaves

Goa''s Youth Football Development Programme was launched in 1998, with financial support from Kannan Devan, a subsidiary of the Tata Tea Company. The Youth Development Programme, faced with lots of teething problems in its infancy, has taken shape and looks stable, with the loose ends being tightened.

The new Youth Development Committee, nominated in 1999, headed by Mr Albert Colaco took stock and reviewed the programme''s system. To ensure the smooth operation of the programme, the Youth Development Committee, in a major shift of policy, introduced a new system that enables the continuity of the programme at a centre through the various age groups. The GFA has also decided on developing coaches for grassroot level development.

Goa Football Association (GFA) has been making serious efforts to develop the game, in a bid to keep pace with the fast changing scenario in the country. Besides going professional with the game, GFA has taken a major step forward in initiating a youth development programme. Until recently the crop of local players that surfaced were mostly those playing in inter-village tournaments organised in the rice fields of Goa. These youth were not exposed to any structured training. This resulted in the development of sub-standard players as their technical fundamentals were weak, directly affected the quality of competition at the senior level. And thus marketing of the game becomes difficult. With the quality of football being sub-standard at the top level, sponsorships and paying spectators are hard to come by.

If Goan football needs to lift itself to a higher level, at National and International competition, it needs to ensure consistency and therefore it is imperative for the GFA to focus on the development of the game at level zero.

Introducing some major changes in its system before the start of the 1999-2000 season, the Youth Football Development Committee has decided that a batch would continue into the succeeding age brackets at the same Centre. Explaining the decision, Mr Colaco disclosed that a number of Centres will be identified for the development of U-12 talent and will follow up with the same batch, continuing for the next three years, with the U-15 programme. This Centre will not take up a new batch of U-12 boys, until that batch of under-15 completes its term, as it would be too much of a financial burden on the Centre and the GFA. However if the Centre has the budget to sustain a new batch, it can go ahead, according to Mr Colaco. To a query as to how new U-12 boys will be inducted into the programme, Mr Colaco disclosed that new Centres would be opened.

The previous plan of having rural centres for U-12 and main centres for U-15 and U-19 has been done away with, as it was noticed that many boys, on completing their training at the U-12 Centres, did not continue with the programme at other Centres, mainly based in urban areas, due to problems in commuting.

Twelve centres currently identified for coaching are Arpora, Taleigao, Pilar, Chicalim, Assagao, Morjim, Chinchinim, Chandor, Raia, and Nuvem, with Duler and Fatorda being maintained as the Centres of Excellence, for further training of the State teams in the various age groups.

Another major step taken by the GFA is in development and training of youth coaches. Mr Colaco pointed out that GFA was the only Association in the country that fully sponsors candidates for the AFC coaching courses.

As of 1998, Marcus Pacheco was the sole Goan, with an Asian Football Confederation B licence in coaching while Brahmanand Shankhwalkar, Baptist Fernandes and Mariano Dias qualified as AFC C licence coaches. In 1999 Marcus qualified as a A licence coach while Brahmanand, Baptist and Mariano have successfully answered their exams for the B licence.

The training at the various centres were being handled by unqualified coaches which put to risk the nature of handling the the development programme. In the 1999-2000 season the GFA sponsored 10 more Goans for the AFC C license course which was conducted in Goa by AFC instructors, after the South Asian Football Federation championship was held in the State.

Those who have successfully completed their C licence courses are Mahesh Lotlikar, Derrick Pereira, Maurice Afonso, John Countinho, Visticao Lobo, Anthony Fernandes, Augustine Dias, Micky Rebello, Savio Madeira and Raymond Carvalho.
Mr Anthony Fernandes, secretary of the Youth Programme Committee, deploys the coaches to whichever Centre as needed.

"Our basic aim right now is to expand the availability of qualified coaches. Not all of these C license coaches will be available to the centres. Some of them will be involved with their own clubs, like for instance, Maurice and Derrick who are training the youth for Dempo and Salgaocar, though they do help us whenever required at the centres. Derrick for instance is helping us in Vasco. As long as they are involved with youth training it is good for football. Our hope is that whatever they teach they should teach properly," said Mr Colaco.

The Youth Development Committee has two Technical Directors, Visitacao Lobo working in the North, and based at Duler and Brahmanand Shankhwalkar working in the South and based at Fatorda.

Marcus Pacheco will offer his expertise as a special instructor. "Our purpose is to train the local coaches. Marcus conducted a course at Pilar, for local coaches who are involved in school sports or dealing with teaching children. Thirteen people attended this course. The work of the Technical Directors is to monitor the programme and advise on changes to the programme in order to plug the shortcomings," said Mr Colaco.

The A and B licence coaches will be developing local coaches. The instruction for these local coaches is being left entirely into the hands of Brahmanand, Marcus and Baptist.

As a kicks tart to the revamped Development Programme, the 1999-2000 season began with camps held for the U-12 age group at the various Centres during the holidays.

At Raia along with Arlem Youth, coach Savio Madeira had 63 boys under him while at Chandor along with Chandor Club, 32 boys trained under the guidance of Marian Dias and Oswald D''Costa. At Chinchinim along with CRC Chinchinim Club, 30 boys attended with Mahesh Lotlikar and Oscar Costa as coaches. At Velim with the support of Cuncolim Union, 32 boys attended, Benjamin D''Silva being the coach assisted by Amstrong Vaz. At Vasco with Vasco Sports Club, Derrick Pereira and Raymond Gomes trained 20 boys. At Navelim along with Navelim Sporting, Ricky Rebello coached 28 boys. In Assagao, along with the Assagao Football Academy, 28 boys attended with Anthony as the coach. At Taleigao, the Sao Minguel club roped in 22 boys to be trained by Maurice Almeida and Selwyn Fernandes. At Morjim, David D''Souza coached 20 boys while at Arpora 28 boys were under the guidance of Augustine and was organised with Holiday Sports Club. At Fr Agnel, Pilar there were 45 boys being trained by Mac Rodrigues and Francis Raposo.

Teams are selected from these camps and a tournament is conducted on Zonal basis. From this tournament, GFA will select the most talented boys, who will be coached on a permanent basis.

The Youth Development Committee has decided against boys below the age of 11, for the moment, as training of this age level (eight to ten years) is very delicate. This will be reviewed when the Coaches have gained more experience at coaching and handling children.

Simultaneously, for the moment, in order to continue the U15 group, old centres like Assagao, Taleigao and Salcete clubs which have been fielding teams regularly for tournaments in the U-15 age group, the Youth Development Committee will encourage the centres to have their U-14 teams for whom a tournament is held.

The Committee has recently introduced a tournament for the age group U-17, as the gap between U-15 and U-19 is too big. The cream among the boys will be selected for the State team and trained for the next season''s U-19 team for the Nationals.
The U-19 probables, who are selected from the tournament, are divided into two camps in the North and South of Goa. In the North, the probables are being coached by Visitacao Lobo assisted by Augustine and in the South by Mahesh and Derrick. After the camp, the players will be called for trials and five selectors will shortlist the State squad for next season''s U-21 National Championship.

The GFA is tying up with Clubs to organise and spread youth development. It is now upto the various village clubs to take an initiative in mobilising young talent in order to start a new centre, thereby developing potential footballers from their area.
The Youth Development Committee will support the clubs by providing qualified coaches, football literature including video tapes and footballs. The Committee will also help subsidise refreshments for the young talent, though it is the responsibility of the club.

Only players who are selected as State probables making it to the main centres, will have their total needs taken care of by the Youth Development Committee. The kitting of the players is taken care of by the MNC, Nivea. The company has agreed to kit the U-15, U-19, U-21 and the senior national team.

A dietician from the Red Cross will lecture the boys at the various Centres on every aspect of nutrition.
With regard to exposure for the various State teams, Mr Colaco said that Calcutta had expressed its intention of dispatching their U-13 team to Goa for a series for matches.

The Committee was also looking at an exchange of matches in various age groups with Kerala and other football playing States. It is also exploring the possibility of introducing some sort of a co-ordination programme with schools in the State.
"Schools are very important avenues. We plan to write to all the schools and make available our coaches to them. We would be very happy to co-operate with schools. There is no doubt that the nursery for all sports are schools," Mr Colaco disclosed.

The GFA launched its Youth Development Programme in 1998, with financial support from Tata Tea Limited, through its popular brand "Kanan Devan Tea." The sponsorship agreement with Tata Tea is for two seasons. For the 1998-99 season Tata Tea has committed Rs. 600,000 to the programme while in the 1999-2000 season they will pay GFA Rs. 700,000.

Mr Colaco hopes that more clubs will come forward in developing young football talents within their village by opening centres for which the GFA is offering support.

The co-operation of the clubs is vital to develop the game by building players. It will be a matter of pride for these villages to have sons of their soil play among the big names in the years ahead. The clubs can also see this as a commercial proposition, wherein they can sell the players from their centres to the Professional League Clubs.

---------Visvas Paul D.Karra