Goa's love for football is well-renowned and a little reading will tell you that this is one of the legacies it shares with Portugal. The shared history and the heritage left behind in Goa shows why the youth here are ready for a game of football come rain or shine. Taking this love for the game forward is Mr. Peter Vaz's passion project - Sporting Clube de Goa, is committed to elevating this sport in Goa while nurturing players to become world-class performers.
Founded in 1999, Sporting Clube de Goa is owned by Goa-based entrepreneur Mr. Peter Vaz. Started with the purpose of grassroots development and encourage football among Goa’s youth, the club is conceptualized on the lines of Sporting Clube de Portugal.
Sporting Clube de Goa launched their own academy on August 16th, 2013 commemorating the 198th anniversary of founding of Don Bosco. The Academy is built in lines of the senior team philosophy and accommodates children between the ages of 8 – 20year olds and are distributed in six different categories (Under 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20). The Academy’s ethos is to uplift, inspire, nurture and offer youth an opportunity to excel through sustained coaching with experienced footballers to help them transition into becoming professional sportsmen. With a focus on spotting talent at a young age and guiding them with training, has encouraged children from Don Bosco High School and neighbourhoods around Panjim. The Academy has factored in technical, tactical, physical and psychological aspects in the curriculum to ensure holistic development that are essential to succeed and thrive on the field.
Sporting Clube de Goa shot to national fame after a stellar performance the 2001-2002 Federation Cup and in 2003-2004, they debuted at the Indian National Football League and emerged as Runner’s up at the game. Sporting Clube de Goa has made tremendous contribution to the national football team and many of the club’s players including the legend Bibaino Fernandes, Felix D’souza, Brandon Fernandes, Adil Khan and Rowlin Borges who have gone on to represent the country in the national team. The club made a bold move by recruiting talented international players to the team like Nigerian player MacPherlin Dudu Omagbemi who went on to play in the UEFA champions league, Adebayo Adewusi, Clifford Chikuwuma, Bella Razaq, Kalu Ogba, Gonzalo Neila, Arturro Garcia, Angel Berlanga, Luciano Sabrosa, to create a formidable team. A force to reckon with in the arena, Sporting Clube de Goa competed in the I-League for more than a decade before withdrawing from the league due to the uncertainty over the Indian football roadmap.
