Come January 26 and Goan footballers will have something tocheer about “ a monthly pension scheme. The Goa Football Development Council(GFDC) is scheduled to launch a pension scheme coupled with mediclaim benefitsfor senior footballers, disclosed Dr Rufino Monteiro, the Chairman, to The Goanrecently.
“This scheme will be for Goan footballers who have played inthe league for atleast 10 years,” Monteiro stated. “The government does have ascheme but it is for footballers who have represented the state. Goa has somany teams and all footballers are not state players so we thought of a schemeto help all players. The applicant should be aged over 50 to avail of thescheme. “After putting in so much for football they should not be leftpenniless. We are also looking at adding a Mediclaim scheme so that the playersin their old age get some benefit for putting their heart and soul for thegame,” said the renowned cardiologist pegging the amount of Rs 5000 monthly forthe beneficiaries.
The GFDC, though instituted only in August last year, hasquite a remarkable progress report for such a short period since inception. Ithas conducted 10 first aid resuscitation and on- field basic life supportcourses in which over 250 coaches and Physical Training instructorsparticipated. It has also set up its first football development centre atValpoi which has 4 coaches training 250 children in the age group of 6 to 14years, stated Monteiro, while adding that they intend to set up another fourcentres in the state by April this year.
The Council also has plans to launch a grant-in-aid schemefor football clubs, especially those participating in the pro-league which haveno sponsorship partners. “These clubs are usually village clubs which developlocal players. The do not have foreign players nor do they have sponsors. We wantto encourage such clubs so that the players continue playing until they arepicked up by bigger clubs,” he said. “The amount is not yet decided but itcould be in the tune of Rs 5 lakhs per season or something like that dependingon how the club performs. Ultimately we want to encourage young Goans. We wantour Goans to come up, we want our young talent to develop,” he reiterated
Apart from these schemes and training programmes for coachesand players, the GFDC also plans to set up a football academy in the state inthe near future. “We will put up 10 to 12 centres all over Goa, then pick upsome young players and house them at our residential academy, where obviouslywe will need a stadia.”
Continuing further on stadia and playgrounds, Dr Monteirospoke of his dream. A dream to have a stadia in the capital city Panjim. “Ihave always been fighting for the Campal stadium in Panjim. We have a dream, soif it is not in Campal, it will be in the Panjim area, “ he said.
With a vision to scout and groom football talent in thestate, a plan to have a stadia in Panjim, and a desire to set up a full-fledgedfootball academy in the state, the GFDC could well be a beacon of hope for allaspiring footballers.
