PANAJI
Goa Mavericks Sports Club (GMSC) has outlined a 15-year plan to revive hockey in Goa, with the long-term objective of seeing a Goan boy and girl represent India, according to the club.
Under its Strategic Execution Plan 2025-2026, titled “Engineering the Revival of Goa’s Hockey Legacy”, GMSC said it has sought to integrate professional hockey coaching into school physical education periods.
The club said its programme removes financial and logistical barriers by providing sticks, balls, jerseys and professional coaching free to parents and schools. Coaching is conducted during school hours, particularly physical education periods, avoiding the need for parents to transport children for sessions.
GMSC said its first-year programme provided twice-weekly coaching to 175 children across four schools. Children from Standards II and III were selected based on speed, mobility and coordination. Olympians Mervyn Fernandis and Joaquim Carvalho provided inputs, while qualified coaches conducted the sessions.
Coaching at St Anthony’s, Duler, was paused because GMSC could not find a suitable coach, with the club saying it remained committed to maintaining coaching quality.
According to GMSC, ₹2.98 lakh was spent on the first-year grassroots programme, including ₹25,425 on jerseys, ₹1.39 lakh on NIS-trained coaching and ₹1.34 lakh on sticks and balls. The club also said coaching support for 70 boys at Don Bosco HSS was provided at no charge by a GMSC member.
The club’s presentation puts total first-year expenditure at ₹5,71,262, including the grassroots programme and approximately ₹2.73 lakh spent on two state-wide tournaments. GMSC said the tournaments covered U-14 and senior men’s and women’s categories.
The club said its 15-year pathway would take children aged eight to 10 through school tournaments and higher levels of competition towards national representation.
“The Goa Mavericks Sports Club (GMSC) is committed to a 15-year vision to revive hockey in Goa, with a long-term objective of seeing a Goan boy and Goan girl represent India,” the club said.
GMSC said it is seeking continued support for its Goa Schools Coaching Programme and will provide progress reports every six months.
