FC Goa

Full name Football Club Goa
Nickname(s) The Gaurs (Reddes)
Short name FCG
Founded 26 August 2014 (2014-08-26)
Ground Fatorda Stadium, Goa
Ground Capacity 19,000[1]
Owner Goan Football Club Pvt. Ltd.
President Akshay Tandon
Manager Zico
League Indian Super League
2015 Regular season: 1st
Finals: Runners-up
Website Club home page

FC Goa (also known as The Gaurs) is an Indian professional football franchise based in Goa that competes in the Indian Super League. The club was launched on 26 August 2014. The team is owned by Goan Football Club Pvt. Ltd. which consists of Jaydev Mody, Venugopal Dhoot and Virat Kohli. It represents Goa, the only state or union territory to declare football as its official sport. The logo represents Goa's state animal the Gaur while the colours blue and orange symbolizes the Goan coastline and sunrise.

The club play their home matches at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao. Brazilian footballer Zico has been the club's Manager (Head Coach) since its inception. Its marquee players for its first two seasons have been French winger Robert Pirès and Brazilian defender Lúcio respectively. The team finished the league stage in second position in their first season. In the end-of-season play-offs, they lost via a penalty shootout against Atlético de Kolkata in the semi-finals after a goalless draw. The next year, the team came first in the league stage, then lost the final 3–2 to Chennaiyin FC at home.

History

Inception

One of the traditional powerhouse regions of Indian football, Goa was bound to be one of the cities to participate in the Indian Super League from its inception.[2] In early 2014, it was announced that the All India Football Federation, the national federation for football in India, and IMG-Reliance would be accepting bids for ownership of eight of nine selected cities for the upcoming Indian Super League, an eight-team franchise league modeled along the lines of the Indian Premier League and Major League Soccer in the United States.[3] On 13 April 2014, it was announced that Venugopal Dhoot had won the bidding for the Goa franchise along with Dattaraj Salgaocar and Shrinivas Dempo.[4] The club was officially launched on 26 August 2014 at a well-attended ceremony at the Goa Marriott Resort & Spa in Miramar.[5]

On 23 September 2014 Virat Kohli Indian Cricketer was unveiled as one of the co-owners.[6] The brand ambassador of the club is Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan.[7] FC Goa is the first Indian sports club to launch a satellite TV Channel – FC Goa TV on Videocon D2H.[7]

Zico Era: 2014–present

2014 Season

Main article: 2014 FC Goa season

Brazilian footballer Zico signed as the club's Head Coach on 2 September 2014. On 20 September 2014 FC Goa officially confirmed French Hero Indian Super Leage winner and Arsenal footballer Robert Pires as their first marquee player.[8] On 26 September Afghanistan captain Zohib Islam Amiri joined FC Goa. On 29 September another former Arsenal player André Santos joined Indian Super League side FC Goa.[9] 14 players from the Dempo SC outfit alongside a Mohun Bagan loanee in Bikramjit Singh comprised the 15-player FC Goa domestic contingent.[10] From the 2014 ISL Inaugural International Draft FC Goa selected Miroslav Slepička, Jan Šeda, Bruno Pinheiro, Youness Bengelloun, Miguel Herlein, Gregory Arnolin and Edgar Marcelino.

On 15 October 2014, FC Goa played their first Indian Super League match against Chennaiyin FC at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa. FC Goa lost four out of their first six matches but came back strongly in the second half of the tournament with five victories from their last eight encounters keeping five clean sheets in their 14 matches. Overall, Zico has done a remarkable job with six wins, four defeats and four draws, which took them to the second spot of the standings with 22 points.[11] By finishing second in the league, the club qualified for the end-of-season play-offs, where they lost via a penalty shootout against Atlético de Kolkata in the semi-finals after a goalless draw.[12]

At the end of season, Miroslav Slepička was the highest goal scorer for the team(5 goals). FC Goa had the longest unbeaten run in the league 10 games, Longest winning run in the league 4 games, Most shots on target in the league 134 shots and Most clean sheets in the league 7 games. Jan Šeda won the Golden Glove award.

Particularly encouraging from the first season was the arrival of Romeo Fernandes on the national footballing scene. The Goan's consistent displays on the pitch quickly turned him into a fan favourite and attracted interest from lands as far as Brazil. His performances culminated in him being loaned out to Atletico Paranaense from parent club Dempo SC, where he became the first Indian to play professionally at the senior level in South America.

2015 Season

Main article: 2015 FC Goa season

After retaining Brazilian head coach, Zico, as well as the core Indian players from the 2014 season such as Romeo Fernandes, Mandar Rao Desai, Narayan Das, and Laxmikant Kattimani, Goa began the season in good fashion with a 2–0 victory at home against Delhi Dynamos.[13] Goa went on the finish the regular season in first place, winning seven of their fourteen games, losing only once in the second half of the season.[14] In the finals, Goa took on Delhi Dynamos in the semi-finals. After losing the away leg 1–0, Goa qualified for the final after winning the home leg 3–0. Goals from Jofre, Rafael Coelho, and Dudu Omagbemi, saw Goa win on aggregate 3–1.[15]

Goa took on Chennaiyin in the final at the Fatorda Stadium. Bruno Pelissari gave Chennaiyin the lead in the 54th minute after missing his penalty before Goa took a 2–1 going into stoppage time through Thongkhosiem Haokip and Jofre. However, an own goal from Kattimani and a strike from Stiven Mendoza saw Chennaiyin win the match 3–2 and win the championship.[16]

Crest

The FC Goa brand stands for strength, integrity and pride. A single club united and resolute in its pursuit for glory. The team embodies the spirit of Joga Bonito, playing the beautiful game the way it should be played - with pace, power and passion.

The FC Goa logo is a combination of Goa’s state animal - the gaur (Indian bison),the Gaur stands out fiercely to protect its turf and a shield, which symbolizes strength, attack and defence, all of which epitomize FC Goa. The logo personifies the character of Goan football and the fundamentals of the team.[17]

Stadium

Home ground

Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium
The Fortress
Location Don Bosco Road, Fatorda, Margao, Goa
Coordinates 15°17′21″N 73°57′44″E / 15.28917°N 73.96222°E / 15.28917; 73.96222Coordinates: 15°17′21″N 73°57′44″E / 15.28917°N 73.96222°E / 15.28917; 73.96222
Owner Sports Authority of Goa
Operator Goan Football Club Pvt. Ltd. (during ISL)
Capacity 19,088 (All seater)[1]
Field size 106m x 70m
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1989
Renovated 2014
Main article: Fatorda Stadium

"Our Field, Our Turf, Our Home, Our Fortress…Fatorda" that's how the Gaurs refer to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa. This stadium is considered to be one of the finest football stadiums in the country. This venue has long been a mainstay of Indian football, having played host to many international games, including India's qualifiers for both the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup.[18] It is also the main I-League football stadium in Goa.

The stadium opened in 1989 and in 2014 has been refurbished and upgraded according to the latest FIFA specifications to host The Lusofonia Games. It is designed with a 19,000 seating capacity.[1] With a roof covering 100 percent of the seating area, fans enjoy wide, comfortable seats with ample spacing between them. The stadium complex provides two levels of fans seating arrangement along with a VVIP area, which provides the ultimate seating for interacting with guests and enjoying football while indulging in the comfort of this private environment. Facilities include HD compliant arena lighting, natural turf, Broadcast room, TV Studio, Player Dressing rooms, Match Delegates area, Dope control rooms, Medical rooms for players and spectators, VIP Lounge, Corporate boxes, Media Tribune and Media working stations,Press Conference area, Mixed zone area, CCTV camera, swimming pool, multipurpose gymnasium and parking facilities. It is regarded as one of the most well maintained football grounds in the Indian subcontinent.[19]

Training ground

The training ground for the Gaurs is at Tilak Maidan, Vasco da Gama, Goa.[20] The venue hosts matches of the I-League as well as local Goan leagues. The venue has the capacity to accommodate 12,000 spectators.[21] In 2014 it has been upgraded satisfactorily to ensure most FIFA standards are maintained. Facilities include player changing rooms, lounge, dope control rooms and a media centre.The friendly matches of FC Goa are held here.[22]

Ownership

In terms of football FC Goa pedigree is unmatched with the combined experience of over 100 years in running football teams. The franchise is owned by Goan Football Club Pvt. Ltd. which used to consist of Dattaraj Salgaocar (37% stake) and Shrinivas Dempo (37% stake), which is now bought by Jaydev Mody (65% stake) Venugopal Dhoot (23% stake) and Virat Kohli (12% stake).[23][24]

Current Owners

Former Owners

Supporters

Despite the teams poor start to the tournament in the first season, fans went out in large numbers to support their team. The fans, known to be loyal and vocal in their support, often turn up in large numbers for home matches turning the stadium into what is called a "sea of blue and orange". With increasing decibels at each match, players both foreign and national were astounded at the support. Banners, chants such as Forca Goa, F-C-Goa, drums, ghumots, Brass Band, vuvuzelas, Mexican wave and innovative get-ups was the theme for every match. Fans in the state spend the night outside the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda in the hope of grabbing a couple of tickets for FC Goa's home matches.[29] Streets are painted blue, there's music playing everywhere, car bonnets donning the crest of the team, stickers on bikes and flags sticking out of windows – this is Goa during the ISL.[30] FC Goa celebrity supporters include Anushka Sharma,[31] Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha,[32] Zayed Khan,[33] Raveena Tandon,[34] Virat Kohli, Sonu Nigam.

Attendance

As of 2nd December 2016
Season Home games played Stadium capacity Average season attendance Occupancy %
2014 8 19,000[35] 18,066 95.08%
2015 8 19,000[35] 18,724 98.54%
2016 7 19,088[35] 17,661 92.52%

Brand Ambassador

The brand ambassador of the club is Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan .Varun Dhawan, who happens to be a self-confessed sports enthusiast, has played the beautiful game both in real life and on the silver screen. He has been keenly following the Gaurs, cheering for the team, either from the stadium by squeezing out time from his busy schedule or from whichever part of the world. This year too, Dhawan will continue to commit himself to attend a few games and make himself available to feature in the team's media campaigns.[36]

Mascot

The mascot, the first of its kind in the ISL, is named Gaurdinho. He's a Gaur, which happens to be the state animal, and a little samba touch to his name considering the Brazilian flavour in the team. FC Goa are the only one out of the eight franchises to have a mascot. The fans love him and during rallies, he's the talk of the town.[37]

Grassroots

FC Goa's grassroots development programme which commenced in February 2015, saw FC Goa reaching out to over 20,000 children FC Goa has a robust grassroots development programme . Over 1500 children between the age groups of 6 to 14 are currently being groomed by FC Goa. The U- 14 team, the Junior Gaurs are doing excellently well. FC Goa assigned coach Gavin Araujo, an AFC A license coach as its Head of the youth development and Katz Naidoo as the program's Technical Director. The adopted 16 schools include St Anthony's High School (Duler), St Anthony's HS (Guirim), Saraswat HS (Mapusa), St Britto's HS (Mapusa), Assagao Union School, St Joseph's HS (Calangute), Pilar Central School, St Lawrence HS (Agassaim) in the North. Our Lady of Poor HS (Tilamol), Our Lady of Fatima HS (Rivona), St Joseph HS (Chandor), Assumpta HS (Sarzora), Fr Agnel Ashram HS (Verna), St Rita HS (Maina), St Rock HS (Velim), St Xavier HS (Velim) are theschools who have been adopted by FC Goa from the South.[38]

Objectives

To Create a huge Grassroots base in order to have a wider pool of Youth players to choose from.

To create a talent pool in which talented players come together to further improve themselves.

To continue our Search for the next Romeo and Mandar who benefited from such programmes.

TV Channel and Magazine

FC Goa TV is the dedicated official channel for FC Goa. It is the first and only Indian sports club to have its own satellite TV Channel.[7] The channel first launched on 10 October 2014 on Videocon D2H channel 100. FC Goa TV includes buildup to matches, post-match shows, exclusive interviews with players and staff besides an inter active section which gives fans the chance to get some answers from first team players.[39]

FC Goa launched its magazine Forca Goa at Fatorda Stadium, on 1 November 2014. The magazine was unveiled by All India Football Federation President Praful Patel in the presence of brand ambassador of FC Goa Varun Dhawan, supporter Sonu Nigam and co-owners Venugopal Dhoot, Anirudh Dhoot, Dattaraj V. Salgaocar and Shrinivas V. Dempo.[40]

Players

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 India GK Subhasish Roy Chowdhury
2 India DF Debabrata Roy
3 Brazil DF Lúcio
4 Brazil DF Luciano Sabrosa
5 Brazil DF Rafael Dumas
6 India DF Raju Gaikwad
7 Brazil MF Matheus Trindade Goncalves
8 India MF Pratesh Shirodkar
9 India FW Robin Singh
10 Brazil MF Richarlyson
11 Brazil FW Reinaldo
12 India DF Denzil Franco
No. Position Player
15 France DF Grégory Arnolin
16 India MF Sahil Tavora
17 India MF Mandar Rao Desai
18 India DF Fulganco Cardozo
19 India MF Romeo Fernandes
20 Brazil FW Rafael Coelho
22 Spain MF Jofre
23 India DF Keenan Almeida
27 India GK Laxmikant Kattimani
31 India GK Sukhdev Patil
33 India DF Sanjay Balmuchu
99 Brazil FW Júlio César

Current Technical Staff

Position Name
Head coach Brazil Zico[41]
Assistant coach Brazil Vannucci Fernando[42]
Conditioning Coach Brazil Moraci Sant'anna[43]
Physical Trainer Brazil Goncalves Willian[42]
Head Physiotherapist India Russell Pinto[42]
Assistant Physiotherapist India Brian Dcosta[44]
Assistant Physiotherapist India XM Reagan
Team Manager India Gavin Araujo[45]
Head of Youth Development India Gavin Araujo[46]

Team records

Seasons

As of 3 December 2016
Year ISL Regular season Finals Top Scorer(s)
P W D L GF GA Pts Pos. Player(s) Goals
2014 14 6 4 4 21 12 22 2nd Semi-finals Czech Republic Miroslav Slepička 5
2015 14 7 4 3 29 20 25 1st Runners-up Brazil Reinaldo 7
2016 14 4 2 8 15 25 14 8th - Brazil Rafael Coelho 5

Head Coach's Record

As of 3 December 2016
NameNationalityFromToPWDLGFGAWin%
Zico  Brazil 3 September 2014 Present 47 18 12 17 70 61 38.30

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Period Kit Manufacturer Shirt Sponsor
2014 Adidas Videocon d2h
2015 FC Prime Markets
2016 Umbro Deltin

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FC-Goa-Venue". October 2016.
  2. ↑ http://www.indiansuperleague.com/fc-goa/news/1722-fc-goa-held-in-kolkata-finish-second
  3. ↑ "Indian Super League sees interest from 30 franchise bidders". Business Standard. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Basu, Saumyajit. "Stars embrace soccer through Indian Super League". Times of India. Retrieved 22 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "Goa football scores with launch of home team 'FC Goa' – The Times of India". The Times Of India.
  6. 1 2 http://www.indiantelevision.com/television/tv-channels/sports/virat-kohli-is-the-new-co-owner-of-fc-goa-140923
  7. 1 2 3 http://m.timesofindia.com/city/goa/FC-Goa-first-to-launch-TV-channel/articleshow/40944246.cms
  8. ↑ "Pirès bringing French flair to Indian Super League". Indian Super League. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "Indian Super League Side FC Goa Snap Up Second Former Arsenal Player In Andre Santos". Inside Futbol.
  10. ↑ http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/fc-goa-dempo-sc-advantage#2BghhxvBvKLrT5oi.99
  11. ↑ http://www.heraldgoa.in/Sports/FC-Goa-out-to-make-Believe-Strike-and-Inspire-in-epic-semis-today/82212.html
  12. ↑ "ISL: Atletico de Kolkata beat FC Goa to reach final". The Times of India. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  13. ↑ "Goa 2–0 Delhi Dynamos". Soccerway.
  14. ↑ "ISL 2015 Table & Results". India.com. 6 December 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "Goa 3–0 Delhi Dynamos". Soccerway.
  16. ↑ "Goa 2–3 Chennaiyin 2015". Soccerway.
  17. ↑ m.indiansuperleague.com/press-releases/93-goan-football-scores-with-the-launch-of-home-team-fc-goa
  18. ↑ "2010 FIFA World Cup Asia Group Playoffs Match Report". FIFA. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  19. ↑ http://indiansuperleaguefootball.in/indian-super-league-stadiums-a-walkthrough-part-2/
  20. ↑ http://m.timesofindia.com/sports/football/indian-super-league/team-profiles/FC-Goa/articleshow/44691589.cms
  21. ↑ "Venue Details: Tilak Maidan". indianfootball.com. Retrieved 11 February 2010.
  22. ↑ http://www.sportskeeda.com/football/fc-goa-india-u-19-football-team-friendly
  23. ↑ "Club objects to name of FC Goa in ISL – The Times of India". The Times Of India.
  24. ↑ http://www.navhindtimes.in/team-goa-checks-today/
  25. ↑ "Arjuna Award for Virat Kohli, PV Sindhu; Ronjan Sodhi gets Khel Ratna". NDTV. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Virat Kohli only Indian in SportsPro's 'most marketable athlete' list". Economic Times. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  27. ↑ http://timesofindia.com/series-tournament/sachin-tendulkars-half-century-of-centuries/Sachin-named-most-influential-person-in-Indian-sports/articleshow/5663404.cms
  28. ↑ "Dattaraj V. Salgaocar: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg.
  29. ↑ http://www.ibtimes.co.in/indian-super-league-2015-fans-react-fatorda-stadium-hosting-isl-2015-grand-finale-640191#utwvBzDf0zhMSPYm.97
  30. ↑ http://www.heraldgoa.in/Review/Goa-Social/FC-Goa-fans-Redde-to-win-title/94480.html
  31. ↑ http://indianexpress.com/photos/sports-gallery/virat-kohli-watches-isl-final-with-girlfriend-anushka-sharma-in-goa/
  32. ↑ http://sportzpics.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/ISL-Season-2-Match-46-FC-Goa-vs-NorthEast-United-FC/G00004Ze_hzjXCu8/I0000ZkLT_RfK1nU/C0000e26_FGHKlfA
  33. ↑ http://www.navhindtimes.in/fc-goas-bollywood-fans/
  34. ↑ http://sportzpics.photoshelter.com/image/I0000MY0IgD_qrr8
  35. 1 2 3 http://www.indiansuperleague.com/fc-goa/venue
  36. ↑ http://www.fcgoa.in/brand-ambassador.php
  37. ↑ http://www.navhindtimes.in/cheer-for-fc-goa-along-with-gaurdinho/
  38. ↑ http://www.fcgoa.in/grassroots.php
  39. ↑ "ISL: FC Goa hits the ground running – The Times of India". The Times Of India.
  40. ↑ http://www.heraldgoa.in/Sports/Praful-launches-FC-Goa-magazine-/80469cms.
  41. ↑ http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/brazilian-legend-zico-to-coach-fc-goa-in-isl/
  42. 1 2 3 http://m.timesofindia.com/city/goa/Zico-adds-trustworthy-Brazilians-to-his-coaching-staff/articleshow/45240517.cms
  43. ↑ "FC Goa coach Zico adds World Cup winner Moraci to his coaching staff – The Times of India". The Times Of India.
  44. ↑ http://www.thegoan.net/Sports/News/Time-for-to-Goan-football-to-make-a-national-presence/09398.html
  45. ↑ http://m.thehindu.com/sport/football/fc-goa-seeks-disciplinary-action-against-atletico-de-kolkata-player/article6532638.ece/
  46. ↑ http://www.footballcounter.com/2015/fc-goa-grassroot-festival-kicks-off/

External links

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