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How Goa’s Young Footballers Are Becoming Agents of Social Change

With over 100 years of love for the beautiful game, Goa is one of the few states in India to make football its official state sport. Believe it or not, Goa has about 200 certified clubs through the Goa Football Association and over 206 football fields across the state. Given what a small state Goa is by area and population, these numbers are pretty remarkable.

But vital to the creation and development of a sports ecosystem anywhere in the world is top notch grassroots infrastructure – and among the latest and most promising initiatives to celebrate and further develop Goa’s vibrant football culture from the grassroots level upward is the Forca Goa Foundation.

A sister concern of FC Goa, its vision is not only to help identify and develop the state’s young footballing talent, but also to establish football as a mode of community building, and a platform for social change.

It’s been almost exactly a year since the foundation’s inception and so on my recent trip to Goa for their fixture against Chennaiyin FC this past match-week, I spoke with Jill Ferguson, Managing Director at the Forca Goa Foundation, about the work they’re doing, what they’ve achieved so far, and what they hope to achieve in the future.

Of course, a major goal for the Foundation is for their centres to become a hotbed of prospective young talent for the first team. Many of FC Goa’s key Indian players are Goan, and to hone and recruit the best local talent has been a major priority for the team from the beginning.

But its mission is much, much wider – and more ambitious – than just that.

Jill’s passion and grit are exceptional. Heading a sports organisation as a woman in a country where the field of sports is almost entirely run for men and by men, hers can’t be an easy task. It’s fitting then, that inclusivity is at the heart of her approach.

“2018 began with a renewed commitment to provide football for all,” Jill explained. “Under our campaign #Football4All, we are specifically looking at ways in which we can offer more support and opportunities for girls from across the state to participate in our tournaments, leagues, and centres.”

When Jill first took over the grassroots programs of FC Goa, there were no girls participating in any of their activities. Now, at least seven of their 16 centres also include girls in their training. But making the centres more gender-equal isn’t as easy as it may sound.

Some centres are at all-boys schools and thus don't have any girls to join, while other schools mandate that a female coach be present before girls are admitted – and qualified female coaches are very hard to find.

To this end, the foundation is planning a D-License coach training programme for women. It has also launched an U12 girls league across the state, the first of its kind in Goa.

“Long term we would like to see an equal number of girls and boys at all our centres and teams participating in our leagues,” Jill shared.

As a huge proponent of women in sport, and having grown up in Goa myself, this was music to my ears.

“We would like to see girls as a part of the FC Goa Academy and ecosystem – it’s something that both Derrick (FC Goa Assistant Coach) and myself are equally passionate about,” she continued.

While increasing opportunities for girls is high up on their agenda, it’s one among several important causes they’ve set out to champion – in fact, as part of their inclusivity initiatives, they’ve even organized football events for the blind.

And right alongside inclusivity, central to the Forca Goa Foundation’s philosophy are sustainability and civic participation.

So, from trash collecting drives and garbage segregation workshops to life skills training and programmes to encourage involvement at local Gram Sabhas, the Forca Goa Foundation is empowering Goa’s football loving youth to do some truly inspiring work.

The idea is that while improving Goa’s football ecosystem, its participants will improve Goa as well.