Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Goa have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC) in an effort to continue to promote the sport of football in the state, especially its grassroots program and football infrastructure development.
The move will see Europe-India collaborations in technology, framework and best practices along with innovations to suit local needs in Goa through various projects, programmes and initiatives aimed at supporting football.
FC Goa are investing heavily in the grassroots program so as to find top talent from the state and encourage more youngsters to take up the sport. The partnership with EBTC will enhance this program further by providing facilities and technical expertise in accordance with European standards. EBTC will facilitate coaching under the 'World Coaches' program for FC Goa, with 'train the trainer' programmes in the form of five day courses, which will ultimately support the structuring and professionalising of football in Goa.
Additionally, EBTC will also provide the club with a number of advantages such as technical advice with respect to developing new infrastructure, upgrading of existing infrastructure, revamping existing football academies, starting outreach programmes with a focus on scouting, providing creative business and funding models and tapping of its network for sponsorship partners in the future.
FC Goa president Akshay Tandon said, "We are very excited with the potential this partnership brings to Goan football. We have been very proactive in our approach to infrastructure development over the past few months and we have been actively seeking like-minded partners who can share in our vision for the development of football in Goa.
With the support of EBTC, I'm sure we can work towards accelerating our plans for infrastructure development, which will greatly help the footballing talent of Goa for many years to come. As a club, we have always focused on driving ourselves towards the aim of putting Goan players into the national team. It's the vision of this club to make Goa the premier footballing destination in not just India but in Asia."
Vincent van Noord, Associate Director, EBTC, who was present for the MoU signing said: "We are pleased to be working together with FC Goa. Across various conversations that we've held over the past couple of weeks, we have been impressed with FC Goa's vision for football in the state. We as an organisation are keen to facilitate the impact of football here in India and after meeting with various stake holders across the country, FC Goa is the one we see to be most in sync with our ideas and partners. We are excited at the potential this partnership holds and we look forward to connecting like-minded organisations with FC Goa, so they can successfully carry out their vision.