PANAJI: FC Goa will organise an All-Goa 5-a-side amateur football tournament titled ‘Road2Goa’ from April 22, 2022 with the finals set to be held on May 8, 2022 with a total prize money of Rs. 8 lakh up for grabs including Rs. 2 lakh for the winners and Rs. 1.5 lakh for the runners-up; says a press release.
Additionally, prize money winnings are guaranteed at every step along the way as well, for achievements such as topping the group stages, winning each game in the knockout stages, and so on. However, the biggest prize of all might not be captured in figures with the 10 best players from the tournament set to be given an opportunity to represent FC Goa as part of their Futsal team.
The matches are set to be held on weekends across 8 venues in Goa, four of which are in North Goa and the remaining four in the South. The tournament is open to all amateurs, corporates and any individuals willing to register a team with a squad size of 8-10 players.
The tournament will be organised in a group-cum-knockout format with each team playing a minimum of five matches. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages. The entry fee for the tournament is Rs. 10,000 per team.
In the long term, ‘Road2Goa’ envisages to be an All-India tournament played across multiple cities with the best teams from each city competing in Goa in the grand finale that will be played across 3 days. It is to be noted that players registered for Goa Professional League (GPL) clubs in the 2021-22 season are not eligible to participate in the tournament.
Derrick Pereira, the Technical Director of FC Goa and the head coach of their first team, expressed the club’s intentions to create more playing opportunities with the help of the tournament.
“With ‘Road2Goa’, one of FC Goa’s primary aims is to create playing opportunities for the football-loving youth of the country. The experience that participants gain could be massively beneficial. They will be facing equally good opponents and exposure to such a level would be great, especially if they intend to improve further and pursue a career in the sport.
“One of the biggest attractions of Road2Goa is the chance for players to make it to FC Goa’s Futsal team. Having been a part of the club for several years now, I can vouch for the professionalism at the club – and the tournament offers players a chance to be a part of the same system,” he further added.
To register for Road2Goa, log on to road2goa.fcgoa.in and contact +91 90224 48529 for more details.
