Not just FC Goa's project but for the community: Forca Goa Foundation’s Nathaniel D'Costa on the Little Gaurs League

Even the most detached consumers of the Indian Super League (ISL) would attest to FC Goa's growing supporter base in the state and across the country.

The Gaurs have transcended the realms of just being a commercial commidity and has toiled to create a community.

Their crown jewel among the many initiatives is the Little Gaurs League (LGL), which concluded its fourth edition earlier in the month.

The LGL not only serves as a talent identification platform for FC Goa but also aims to create a sense of belonging and togetherness within the community.

The club believes in using football as a catalyst for social development and aims to instill values such as teamwork, discipline, and fair play among the participants.

Over 1,200 players registered across five different age categories. The league was spread across three zones - North, South, and Central Goa (Vasco), with matches taking place in the Monte de Guirim Ground, Sinquetim Sports Complex, and Chicalim Panchayat Ground, respectively.

Nathaniel D'Costa, Head of Grassroots Development at the Forca Goa Foundation, underlined in an exclusive interview to Sportskeeda the ideology and the vision that brought the league into existence.

"The idea behind the league is to create opportunities for children to play organized, regular football over a considerable period of time in a fun and safe environment. Our Technical Director Derrick Pereira scanned the footballing ecosystem for years and figured out that young players lacked match practice. That's why this league came into existence in the first place," Nathaniel explained.

"This is not just FC Goa's project but a community-oriented project and everybody should be a part of it. We aim to build a strong sense of community so that businesses in and around the place can invest in and support the league. It will allow us to spread the league to other regions. This is the mission and vision of FC Goa president Akshay Tandon."

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"Constantly been working with the Goa FA to improve the coaching standard" - Nathaniel D'Costa of Forca Goa Foundation

In a previous interview with Sportskeeda, Premier League scouts Jimmy Hayes and Chris McGrath had pointed out that India lacked coaching framework, which has led to the stunted growth of talents in the country.

Is the Forca Goa Foundation and the Little Gaurs League planning to address the problem? Nathaniel D'Costa responded:

"That (lack of proper coaches) has been our biggest challenge. We've constantly been working with the Goa Football Association to improve the coaching standard in the state and through our various intiatives."

"It's not just the coaches but even the refereeing standard has really been poor. So along with infrastructure we're also trying to improve the officiating level in the Little Gaurs League and create of pool of quality referees for even national competitions," he added.

Meanwhile, for the foundation, the increase in the number of girls registering, with over 220 girls signing up to participate in this edition, has been one of the most significant success stories.

But Nathaniel narrated how persuading the girls, their families and schools to join the tournament wasn't the easiest task. But it was the responsibility of the league to offer them safe environment to play in.

"It's about providing these young girls the safety and security of playing in a friendly environment. We've looked into everything, even something simple like improving the condition of washrooms for these girls, to make them feel safe."

Despite being pushed off the track by the pandemic for two years, the Little Gaurs League has returned in full glory in the 2022-23 season. Nathaniel D'Costa discloses that the plans for upcoming season are to further expand the league.

And what would be considered as a success for the project 10 years down the line? The Forca Goa Foundation official quipped:

"Our biggest sucess will be if in 10 years time, all players in starting lineup of the Indian national team are from the Little Gaurs League."

With all the obstacles in the grassroot development of the country, one can only hope that FC Goa's can escalate their upward trajectory in this journey of holistic development.

However, while concluding, Nathaniel persisted that this not their individual voyage to success and organisations need to come forward with funding and sponsorships to ensure a sustainable league for the future.

The hope is now that the right ears are tuned in and willing to extend the helping hand.