Mumbai, March 20, 2022: FC Goa, along with Bengaluru FC, were honoured with the Hero ISL Grassroots Award for the 2022-23 season on account of their significant contributions to the development of Indian football at the youth and grassroots level.
Carlos Pena, the head coach of FC Goa, speaking after he collected the award and a cash prize of ₹10 lakhs in a special ceremony following the ISL final on Saturday, said, “I love the mentality of FC Goa - they’re not only concerned about signing big names, and equally value player development. It’s one of the main reasons why I signed up to be their head coach last summer.
“The key with young players is to trust them and have patience with them, and this is something that doesn’t happen easily in professional football.”
The Gaurs, along with their community wing, the Forca Goa Foundation have launched the Little Gaurs League, one of India’s biggest baby leagues. The competition, now in its 4th season, sees over 1000 children participating (including over 200 girl participants) in the U6, U8, U10 and U12 categories in a three-month long tournament which spans over 3 months.
FC Goa, which launched its full-fledged youth structure in 2017, has over the years seen its teams win laurels both at the state and national levels with wins in the Goa Pro League and Police Cup to highlight other notable performances.
The Gaurs, this season saw the U17 side win the Goa Football Association (GFA) 3rd Division (Bardez zone) title whilst their U15 and U13 side romped home to convincing wins in their respective GFA championships. The U13 and U15 teams ended up scoring 95 and 45 goals respectively from their 8 games, while conceding 5 each.
About FC Goa
FC Goa is a professional football club based out of Goa that competes in the Indian Super League (ISL). Nicknamed the Gaurs, FC Goa has been one of the most consistently successful teams in the ISL - reaching 4 semi-finals and 2 finals in 8 seasons.
Heading into the 2022-23 season of the HISL, FC Goa holds the record for most wins, most goals, most golden boots and most number of playoff appearances in the history of the competition.
FC Goa became the first team from India to qualify for the league stages of the AFC Champions League in 2021 by virtue of winning the first-ever Hero ISL League Winners Shield in the 2019-20 season.
The Gaurs trophy cabinet is also adorned by the 2019 Super Cup, the 2018-19 GFA Pro League, and the 2021 Durand Cup.
Co-owned by Mr Jaydev Mody, Mr Akshay Tandon and Mr Virat Kohli, FC Goa is one of the few Indian Clubs to have a complete youth development ecosystem. Its U14, U16, U18 and Developmental Teams compete at the highest levels in Goa and India.
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