How FC Goa's Little Gaurs League is aiding youth development in Indian football

Players were given ample rewards for their impressive performances with call-ups to the youth teams.

The Little Gaurs League continues to grow in leaps and bounds. This season saw over 1200 children take part in the baby league. Played across three centres and five different age categories in Goa, it’s setting a benchmark for the rest of the country.

Launched with the primary aim of providing opportunities for children to play regular competitive football in a safe and organised environment. And that in turn has seen the number of girl participants increase exponentially with the latest season seeing more than 200 girls participating. 

With over 118 teams playing a total of 618 matches, it gave the players plenty of opportunities to showcase their skills and gain experience on the field - some of whom were later rewarded with call-ups to the FC Goa U13 Men’s Team and the FC Goa U14 Women’s Team.

Forming the core of FC Goa’s success at the youth level

In March this year, the U13 boys of FC Goa won their first major silverware, emerging champions of the Goa Football Association (GFA) U13 First Division League. The young Gaurs, not only came out as champions, but also made a statement with their performance, scoring 95 goals in eight matches en-route to winning the title. They finished the season unbeaten as well, winning seven of their eight games.

A similar success story also emerged from the FC Goa U14 Women’s Team camp, following their runners-up finish in the GFA U14 Women’s League. The girls topped the North Zone table with four wins in a campaign that saw them pummel in 58 goals while conceding none in the four group matches.  

The girls would go on to edge past Union of Chinchinim Villagers in the semi-final, and although a defeat against Compassion FC in the final prevented them from lifting the trophy, the team had won hearts by then.

“It was clear that these kids have played much more football than any other kid in the league,” Kabeer Shetty, Assistant Coach of the FC Goa U13 Team says. “Even in training, they showed that they had excellent basics.”

Josline D’Souza, FC Goa U14 Women’s Team Coach, agrees. “When we first trained them, we were surprised with how easily they grasped things. We only had to brush up their basics and then fine-tune them to suit our playing style.”

A peek into the behind-the-scenes at FC Goa and the Club’s sister concern, the Forca Goa Foundation, proves them right. The Foundation’s ‘Little Gaurs League (LGL)’, one of the biggest baby leagues in India, had an immense influence on the team.

“A lot of our players previously played in the LGL and knew each other from there. Not only did this help build familiarity and team chemistry, but the experience of playing there also developed their abilities. The game time that LGL gave these boys improved their decision-making so much that when they set out to play in the GFA league, they were easily a cut above the rest of the players,” Shetty observes.

LGL players steal the show for FC Goa Youth Teams in the 2023-24 season

To quote a few numbers, 10 out of the 22 players in the FC Goa U13 Squad this season played in the Little Gaurs League previously for various teams. All of them, bar a goalkeeper, accounted for 46 of the 95 goals scored for FC Goa in the GFA U13 First Division League.

The domination was such that the difference between the Young Gaurs and the rest of the teams in the league was visible in plain sight. For instance, they scored 57 goals more than second-placed Salgaocar FC, and conceded just five goals across their entire campaign.

One of the stars of the league was Messi Colaco, who scored five goals against Sesa FA. He wrapped up his campaign as the top-scorer with 15 goals. Similarly, Vishwaja Gaonkar and Sienna Fernandes were crowned the joint top-scorers of the GFA U14 Women’s League.

A common fact about all three players - they all rose through the ranks at LGL before getting selected to play for the Club in their respective teams.

“All our players managed to become key parts of the team in such a short time, and I’m sure that the attributes and skill-sets they possess will help them build long, successful careers,” Kabeer Shetty added.

The success of FC Goa's youth teams in the GFA U13 First Division League and the GFA U14 Women's League is a testament to what the Club can achieve in the form of footballing development through the Little Gaurs League. With the LGL undoubtedly continuing to be a key factor in their success, the future looks bright for the Club and Indian football as a whole.