Goa Football Development Council to have its own club

The state-run Goa Football Development Council (GFDC) will form its own club to ensure that players' participation in competitive tournaments, a senior GFDC official said on Friday.

GFDC Member Secretary Aleixo da Costa told PTI that the council cannot field its team right now in the Goa Football Association (GFA) affiliated tournaments as it is not registered as a club.

"We will soon register ourselves as a club with the Sports of Authority of Goa (SAG) and will launch our team in the tournaments, he said.

According to the official, the council already has 30 players who will represent the club.

"However, despite the ban, the council has been exploring various other opportunities due to which its players have currently made their way into several professional clubs and have even played for the nation," he claimed.

Da Costa said that the council has trained 4,500 players every year since 2012, creating a pool of talent through its 38 centres across the state.