With the successful revival of the Bandodkar Gold Cup after 22 years, in the U-21 format, the GFA will now pursue the proposal after being approached by international teams to be a part of the prestigious tournament next year. GFA president Elvis Gomes said his team will begin work on the same right away.
"The response of the public to Bandodkar Gold Cup over the last week or so shows that there is a market for quality football, and the same has to be packaged well,”
Elvis Gomes
GFA President
The Goan Network
Panaji
The curtains came down on the prestigious and historic Bandodkar Gold Trophy football tournament with Pune Football Club beating local favourites Dempo Sports Club in the finals played for the first time under floodlights at Duler Stadium. The last few days of the football calendar season saw teams battle it out for the prestigious trophy gifted to the Goa Football Association by the State’s first Chief Minister late Dayanand Bandodkar in 1970. In an effort to revive the legacy and glory of the traditional tournament, the GFA stepped in to organize the Bandodkar Gold Cup supported by the illustrious Bandodkar family and marketed by Zest Concepts, a sports marketing firm based in Goa.
In its new avatar, the Bandodkar Gold Trophy was re-branded and re-packaged and played as ab U-21 tournament this year with the aim of becoming India’s premier U-21 football tournament in due course. The tournament kicked off in the third week of May and saw six teams from Goa “ which included the big four of Salgaocar FC, Sporting Clube de Goa, Dempo SC and Churchill Brothers SC as well as two from Pune “ DSK Shivajians and Pune Football Club. The matches were played at Duler Stadium, Mapusa in north Goa and Navelim Football Ground in south Goa.
Buoyed by the success of the tournament, GFA president Elvis Gomes said:
“The Bandodkar Gold Cup is a crucial part of the history and legacy of Goan football. GFA has revived this traditional tournament of significance with the support and encouragement of the Bandodkar family. The Bandodkar Gold Cup will be an annual fixture on the state’s football calendar and we are looking to better it with each passing year. We have ambitious plans and will look to roll them out next year. We have been approached by international teams and we will begin work on the same right away. So many tournaments we have grown up on have ceased to exist “ Rovers Cup, Stafford Cup, etc. The response of the public to this tournament shows that there is a market for quality football, and the same has to be packaged well.”
The Bandodkar Gold Cup has always been close to the heart of the Bandodkar family and Sameer Kakodkar, the grandson of late Dayanand Bandodkar said:"The Bandodkar family is delighted that the Bandodkar Gold Cup is being revived by the GFA after a gap of over 20 long years. The U-21 age bracket is a good age to tap into footballing talent and offer footballers the opportunity to take a leap into professional football. We hope that the Bandodkar Gold Cup will play the role of catalyst and that tournaments such as these will spark interest in cities across the country.”
Savio Medeira, former India coach and captain of Salgaocar Sports Club who captained the team to victory at the Bandodkar Cup in 1992 agrees to what Kakodkar said. “The revival of the tournament is certainly good news for Goan football and for players from teams all over India. This tournament revived by GFA offers a ready platform for U-21 which is a positive development for young talent. We need more tournaments such as these which encourage players in the U-21 category.”
Savio’s ex-colleague and another former winning captain, Arjuna awardee, Brahmanand Shankhwalkar who lifted the prestigious trophy with Panvel Sports Club in 1974 had the following to say: “During our times, we used to look forward to Bandodkar Gold Trophy as it was one of the premier tournaments in India. We used to approach the tournament with all the seriousness. The tournament this year was a step in the right direction.”
Sports enthusiast Alexander Fernandes who follows Indian football, commented: “The U-21 format is excellent for our players as it is a good platform to showcase young talent. The quality of the game is just as good as it was earlier. Players today in fact are better equipped with facilities and infrastructure. The quality is definitely there but we can still do better. We need to encourage more tournaments like this. Even the big leagues should organize tournaments under this age group.”
