South Goa players enjoy max time on field in top tier of Indian football
Panaji: South Goa comprises just 0.12% of the national population, but players from the district enjoy more time on the field than any other region in the top-tier Indian Super League (ISL).
South Goa lead the rankings with 8.2% minutes on the field, while Aizawl (6.2%), North 24 Parganas (4.8%), Hooghly (4.2%) and Imphal West (4.2%) complete the top five, according to research conducted by Richard Hood , former head of player development of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
A rung below, in the I-League — now rechristened Indian Football League (IFL) — South Goa is a close second, behind Aizawl, but Hood attributes it to a truncated season. The absence of Churchill Brothers FC , who refused to take part after their I-League title was snatched away due to rulings by the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), was also a major contributing factor.
“Churchill Brothers do have a good number of players who are recruited from South Goa,” said Hood, who has top coaching licences from Europe (UEFA A) and Asia (AFC Pro). “South Goa right now has a rich environment where kids grow up playing the game. It’s the number one sport in the region. There are a lot of role models, and players who start young, go on to play for professional clubs. The local ecosystem is heavily leaning on local talent to come through, which we see in the northeast as well.”
The research, titled ‘ Mapping Our Minutes ,’ throws light on districts that have maximum footballers with playing time in the top tiers of Indian football. It shows South Goa surging ahead of the rest with 8.2% of the minutes in the under-21 category, where Reliance Foundation conducts an elaborate championship with regional qualifiers, zonals and the national group stage. Imphal West (6.7%), Aizawl (6.1%), Malappuram (5.1%) and Imphal East (4.3%) complete the top five for the juniors.
The district also has produced the most captains for the national football team, with popular names like Mauricio Afonso, Climax Lawrence, Mahesh Gawli, Roberto Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Derrick Pereira, Savio Medeira and Lawrence Gomes all hailing from the region. Over 50 footballers have represented the country in international competitions, some of them captaining India at major competitions like Asian Cup (Climax) and Asian Games (Joaquim Abranches).
“Given its infrastructure and passion, Goa should be thriving. Every football ground should be occupied six to eight hours a day, with kids playing, competing all through the year. This is what will take the state ahead of everyone else. Aizawl (in Mizoram), for example, is a very recent phenomenon. Goan football goes back into the history of Indian football itself. We are talking of multiple decades of work and culture, a lot of role models, important clubs and coaches,” said Hood.
Despite the rich history and legacy, Goan football does not have too much to celebrate at the national level in recent times. Its last triumph at the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy was in 2009.
At the club level, FC Goa’s triumph in 2019-20, when they finished ahead of ATK in the ISL standings, is the only top-tier success. Dempo have not won anything of note since the peak of 2005 and 2012, when they won five national league titles, while Churchill Bros last triumphed in the I-League in 2013.
South Goa lead the rankings with 8.2% minutes on the field, while Aizawl (6.2%), North 24 Parganas (4.8%), Hooghly (4.2%) and Imphal West (4.2%) complete the top five, according to research conducted by Richard Hood , former head of player development of All India Football Federation (AIFF).
A rung below, in the I-League — now rechristened Indian Football League (IFL) — South Goa is a close second, behind Aizawl, but Hood attributes it to a truncated season. The absence of Churchill Brothers FC , who refused to take part after their I-League title was snatched away due to rulings by the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), was also a major contributing factor.
“Churchill Brothers do have a good number of players who are recruited from South Goa,” said Hood, who has top coaching licences from Europe (UEFA A) and Asia (AFC Pro). “South Goa right now has a rich environment where kids grow up playing the game. It’s the number one sport in the region. There are a lot of role models, and players who start young, go on to play for professional clubs. The local ecosystem is heavily leaning on local talent to come through, which we see in the northeast as well.”
The research, titled ‘ Mapping Our Minutes ,’ throws light on districts that have maximum footballers with playing time in the top tiers of Indian football. It shows South Goa surging ahead of the rest with 8.2% of the minutes in the under-21 category, where Reliance Foundation conducts an elaborate championship with regional qualifiers, zonals and the national group stage. Imphal West (6.7%), Aizawl (6.1%), Malappuram (5.1%) and Imphal East (4.3%) complete the top five for the juniors.
The district also has produced the most captains for the national football team, with popular names like Mauricio Afonso, Climax Lawrence, Mahesh Gawli, Roberto Fernandes, Clifford Miranda, Derrick Pereira, Savio Medeira and Lawrence Gomes all hailing from the region. Over 50 footballers have represented the country in international competitions, some of them captaining India at major competitions like Asian Cup (Climax) and Asian Games (Joaquim Abranches).
“Given its infrastructure and passion, Goa should be thriving. Every football ground should be occupied six to eight hours a day, with kids playing, competing all through the year. This is what will take the state ahead of everyone else. Aizawl (in Mizoram), for example, is a very recent phenomenon. Goan football goes back into the history of Indian football itself. We are talking of multiple decades of work and culture, a lot of role models, important clubs and coaches,” said Hood.
Despite the rich history and legacy, Goan football does not have too much to celebrate at the national level in recent times. Its last triumph at the National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy was in 2009.
At the club level, FC Goa’s triumph in 2019-20, when they finished ahead of ATK in the ISL standings, is the only top-tier success. Dempo have not won anything of note since the peak of 2005 and 2012, when they won five national league titles, while Churchill Bros last triumphed in the I-League in 2013.
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