FC Goa is presently conducting its first FC Goa Skills Programme in Ahmedabad lead by the team’s Grassroots Development Coach Gavin Araujo, an AFC A license Coach.

Goa 18th August 2016 : FC Goa is presently conducting its first FC Goa Skills Programme in Ahmedabad lead by the team’s Grassroots Development Director Gavin Araujo, an AFC A license Coach. Over the last two years Araujo has been spearheading FC Goa’s ambitious Grassroots Development Programme and has overseen much of the club’s work at the Grassroots Level.

Keeping in line with its commitment to grassroots development, the FC Goa Skills Programme is an outreach programme aimed at training coaches involved in grassroots development programmes and honing the footballing skills of young players. The keen students include young talented football players (girls and boys) and female coaches.

The programme, presently underway will see 20 coaches and 70 young players gain practical and theoretical knowledge on the latest training methods as imparted by the team of FC Goa coaches. Over the next eight days Araujo and his team will train coaches on the various practical aspects including warm up sessions and its benefits, goalkeeping techniques, conditioning and attacking, dribbling and other related techniques. Coaches and students will also head to the classroom where they will be imparted theoretical knowledge on the principles of coaching a team of players, identifying and defining football related problem techniques and style of play, designing training sessions for optimum performance, factors affecting performance and the learning curve of a coach, among other subjects. Confidence building measures are also part of the programme.

The week long training session will culminate with an FC Goa Open day tournament between the young players of the grassroots programme.

FC Goa’s Grassroots development programme which commenced two years ago saw FC Goa reaching out to over 20,000 children and actively mentoring and coaching over 1300 students in the sport of football.

Over the last few months FC Goa’s Grassroots Coaches have been working closely with Goa’s young talented footballers while mentoring and coaching Goa’s young footballers. Araujo leads the grassroots programme and is supplemented by a team of 4 assistant coaches and 8 Grassroots coaches, besides 16 Physical Education teachers from various schools inducted in the programme.

FC Goa’s Grassroots Development Programme saw a tremendous response since its inception. The objective of the festival is to introduce children to the game of football in a friendly playing environment, where they are encouraged to experience football and enjoy playing the beautiful game while developing their inherent talent.