Goa football gets richer purse to bank on

With eight teams (including the four NFL and as many city and village teams) playing out the ‘regular’ double-header league format, the top-4 finishers will qualify to take a shot at the increased Rs 1.5 lakh booty.

This, according to Singh is to get that ‘extra competitive’ edge among the teams who otherwise — as part of the professional set-up — are guaranteed Rs 50,000 each as appearance money, apart from a percentage of the gate money.

Simply put: the Top-4 GFL finishers will meet in a knock-out semi final stage —details of who plays who would be worked out by Goa Football Association secretary Savio Messias—with the winners advancing to take a crack at the Rs 1 lakh top prize. The losers would be richer by Rs 50,000.

Having played out eight years — the league turned professional in 1999 — the GPL as Messias put it, “has grown in leaps and bounds”.

While Hutch added its name as title sponsors in 2005, Kingfisher joined as associate sponsors in the subsequent year while this year GPL got a third sponsor— radio station BIG 92.7— indicating the interest developed among corporate houses in Goan football.

Messias adds: “Corporate houses, unlike in the past, are lining up to be associated in some way or the other.”

Sample this; even the charity match to be played between last year’s league winners Sporting Clube de Goa and runners-up Churchill Brothers on July 28 is being sponsored by beer giants Budweiser.

“It’s been a slow process but football is looking up,” added Messias.

The Teams

• Sporting Clube de Goa

• Churchill Brothers

• Dempo Sports Club

• Salgaocar Sports Club

• Vasco Sports Club

• Raia Sporting Club

• Velsao Pale Sports Club

• Marmagoa Port Trust Club