MUMBAI: FC Goa have been honoured with the Indian Super League (ISL) Grassroots Award for the 2023-24 season on account of their significant contributions to the development of Indian football at the youth and grassroots levels.
“We at FC Goa are pleased to inform you that the club won the Grassroots Award from the Indian Super League (ISL) for the 2023-24 season,” the club said in a release on Friday.
Carlos Pena, the head coach of FC Goa, speaking after he collected the award and a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs in a special ceremony following the ISL final on Saturday, said, “I love the mentality of FC Goa – they’re not only concerned about signing big names, and equally value player development. It’s one of the main reasons why I signed up to be their head coach last summer”. “The key with young players is to trust them and have patience with them, and this is something that doesn’t happen easily in professional football.”
Incidentally, this is the second year in succession that FC Goa has won the ISL Grassroots Award. Last year they shared the award with FC Bengaluru. One of the reasons for FC Goa getting the award is the Little Gaurs League, which they run every year.
The Gaurs, along with their sister concern, the Forca Goa Foundation, conduct the Little Gaurs League, one of India’s biggest baby leagues, annually.
The competition, which recently completed its fifth edition, saw over 1500 children participating in the U6, U8, U10, U12, and an exclusive U13 girls’ category, collectively playing an impressive 1018 matches in a five-month-long tournament.
FC Goa launched its full-fledged youth structure in 2017 and has over the years seen its teams win laurels both at the state and national levels.
They are one of the few Indian clubs to have a complete youth development ecosystem, with their U13, U15, U17, U19 and Developmental Teams competing at the highest levels in Goa and India.
