MARGAO
Inter village football is coming back to Poitomado ward of Cuncolim after a gap of 18 years with Santa Cruz Society of Poitomado, Cuncolim hosting their 1st Santa Cruz Society Soccer Cup 2024 at Santa Cruz Society of Poitomado grounds Cuncolim.
The opening match will be between Navelim Sporting and Don Bosco Oratory Fatorda.
All together eight teams are taking part in the tournament with the winners walking away with the prize money of Rs.40,000/- and runners-up Rs.30,000/.
Poitomado was the scene of many inter-village football matches but that action came to an end in 2006 with Santa Cruz Society Poitomado not hosting their annual Piety memorial Inter-village football tournament.
“We started the tournament in 1978 and held it till 2006,” said Lester D’Souza, a former inter-village footballer and one of the organizers of the tournament.
Give reasons for not hosting the tournament after 2006 Lester, who works as an Engineer with the Public Works Department, said: “Poitmado is a small ward of Cuncolim and to conduct an inter village tournament you need man power in the form of volunteers, with most of the youth working outside Goa having the necessary people to conduct different tasks of organizing the tournament was a difficult task, so we took the decision not to host the tournament.”
The club however kept its affiliation with Goa Football Association (GFA) on track by taking part in the Third Division league of GFA and occasionally qualifying and making it to the Second Division, thanks in a large measure to the efforts of Lester and Goa Football Development Council coach and local councillor Raimundo D’Souza, both who made things happen on the ground in terms of logistics and training the players.
Explaining the reasons for reviving the tournament Lester said the idea was floated by some of the Poitomado youth and the proposal was accepted as most of them are in Goa at this time of the year.
“A few of our youths were in Goa and they came up with the idea,” Lester said.
“The Poitomado ground is one of the few grounds in Cuncolim which has a natural surface and which is an all-season ground,” he said.
“We have only taken eight teams in the tournament although the GFA rules allow for a maximum 16 teams, so we will have seven matches including the final. The final will be played on October 20, the feast day of Our Lady of Piety Chapel Panzorconi, Cuncolim,” he added.
The organizing committee is also trying to host an exhibition match between two school Under 17 teams, Our Lady of Health High School Cuncolim and St Anthony High School Veroda Cuncolim and talks are on with the two school managements to send the teams for the final on October 20.
