Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Goa Football Development Council’s (GFDC) Rumdamol Davorlim Centre, in partnership with Davorlim Rangers Sports Club, organised a football kit distribution ceremony for young trainees at the Davorlim Panchayat Hall.
Navelim MLA Ulhas Tuvenkar was the chief guest at the event, which was attended by GFDC Member Secretary Fransquinha Oliveira, former Navelim sarpanch and panch member Samiula Faniband, physical education teachers Shafi Jamadar and Hanif Shaikh, former footballer and GFDC mentor Salvador Pereira, Davorlim Rangers Sports Club president Maynuddin Shaikh, Centre Head Swenny Noronha, coaches Joseph Baptista and Macrenna Dias, and grounds-person Um-e Salma Sheikh.
Tuvenkar welcomed the initiative and highlighted the importance of providing children with access to structured football training within their own village. He noted that youngsters earlier had to travel to Fatorda for coaching, while the Davorlim centre now allows them to train closer to home.
He encouraged the trainees to make sports part of their daily routine and spend less time on mobile phones. He also urged them to make full use of the available grounds, coaching and sporting facilities and bring recognition to their schools and village through their performances.
Oliveira thanked Davorlim Rangers Sports Club for supporting GFDC’s grassroots football programme. She stressed that football helps children develop discipline, teamwork, respect, leadership and perseverance, while also giving them an opportunity to dream of representing Goa and the country.
She called on the young players to wear their kits with pride, respect their coaches and remain committed to regular training.
Faniband said the establishment of the centre has eased the burden on parents who previously travelled to Fatorda for their children’s football training. He recalled approaching GFDC to establish a coaching centre at Davorlim ground and said the local club, founded in 2017, resumed its activities after the pandemic.
The centre continues to provide young players with regular coaching and opportunities to participate in tournaments, strengthening the grassroots football pathway in the region.
