MARGAO
The first Annual General Body meeting of the Goa Football Association under the tenure of Dr Caitano Fernandes ended with clubs praising the efforts of the newly elected Executive Committee in largely bridging most of the financial deficit from the previous tenures.
The sponsorship income has also doubled this year while the association's effective deficit was only Rs 5 lakh, a massive improvement from the earlier terms, the GFA said.
The president in his report highlighted the fact that the GFA organised a record 826 matches in a mere seven months, including a record 16 matches a day on two occasions. Caitano also stated that plans are in the pipeline to broadcast the First Division and the Vedanta Women's League this season.
FC Mardol and Siddeshwar Sports Club were accorded permanent member status after completing their five-year term, fulfilling all the GFA obligations. The president also informed the members that from this year onward, all players will be registered on CRS and new zonal offices will be opened in Duler, Margao and Mormugao to assist the clubs to register their players online.
The association also unveiled its new website www.gfagoa.com where all schedules, live scores, rules, regulations and circulars will be uploaded, serving as a platform for fans, stakeholders and clubs to easily access news, documents and information on Goan football.
Earlier, a discussion on the direct entry for Goa Professional League clubs was clarified of Jonathan De Sousa, vice-president-North of GFA. "There was a discussion on the bidding for direct entry. The GFA clarified the doubts of the clubs regarding outstation teams. Clubs are free to decide for themselves whether they want to tie up with outside entities or not. The Technical Evaluation Committee comprising ExCo members will meet on July 24 to decide the final outcome of the bids," he stated.
The GFA competitions are slated to begin by the end of July with the futsal competition.
