With a total of 31 grassroots centres across the state in the past three years, the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) is facing a shortage of licenced coaches in the state.The total strength of coaches at GFDC is 70 with 40 manning North Goa and 30 spread in South Goa taking care of grassroots development and training a total of 3,500 trainees at various football development centres
Andrea Fernandes
MAPUSA
With a total of 31 grassroots centres across the state in the past three years, the Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) feels that there is a shortage of licenced coaches in the state.
The total strength of coaches at GFDC is 70. They have 40 coaches in North Goa and 30 coaches in South Goa at the grassroots, training a total of 3,500 trainees at various football development centres.
“We have a huge demand.The numbers required at the centres depend on the number of trainees. At Valpoi we have over 200 odd children being trained in footballing skills but we have only four coaches there. There is a huge shortage of coaches in that area and the picture is not different throughout the state. To keep our activity going we have to hire unlicenced coaches but opt for people who have excelled in football to coach our young boys and girls,” informed Aleixo da Costa, member secretary of Goa Football Development Council (GFDC).
GFDC has restructured the remuneration scale for the coaches at these centres. There is a definite growth path or career path for the coaches. They can train as well as grow at the centres by upgrading themselves in terms of the licence they possess as well as the skills. The more the number of years they put in at the centres they become eligible to answer the higher licence examination.
“After I took over, we identified these unlicensed coaches and unfortunately just before I joined the programme for ‘D licence’ was conducted by the AIFF and I was not there to encourage these coaches to take this up and become certified. I have told my technical section to train these unlicenced coaches and prepare them at all fronts such as at technical skills, communication skills and bring them up to a level where they will be able to successfully go through the AIFF D licence course. Once that is done, I believe all the coaches will be licenced coaches,” said Aleixo.
“Licence is an unavoidable necessity but more then that I would say that the coaching skill is also a must. If they have a licence and do not know how to coach then there is no point having you in the centre. So yes, we keep the licence as the benchmark but more important is the coaching skills of the coach,” he added.
