Road 2 Goa starts off with a bang across 3 venues in Goa

~ A total of 42 teams, including 6 womens’ team divided across north & south zones have signed up for the tournament ~ 

Goa Khabar: FC Goa’s latest foray in Indian football, Road2Goa started off with a bang on Friday, April 29 with the tournament kicking off in 3 venues across Goa in Seraulim (The Base), Camorlim (Camp Souza) and Saligao (Nagoa Arena). The tournament is a continuation of FC Goa’s efforts to institutionalise football amongst the masses by getting the football aficionados of India involved with the beautiful game, with the Club and its stars cheering them on.

The tournament also has a unique set of rules that stand out from other 5-a-side tournaments with prominent ones being the booster period where one goal counts as two and the two yellow card rule, where the opponent gets to pick any player who will have to sit out of the game.

A total of 42 teams, including 6 womens’ team (divided into 8 groups) have signed up for the tournament which promises the winner a prize money of Rs. 2lacs & the runner up Rs. 1.5lacs as well as cash prizes at every stage of the tournament.

Speaking on the start of the tournament FC Goa President Akshay Tandon said, “We are delighted with the response to the tournament considering this the first time we are conducting an amateur football tournament. Getting the fans involved in the game is crucial in regards to the dream that we all share about Indian football as we look to instituitionalise the game.

“And what better way to do it than via a tournament where they can be the stars and play. This is something that we believe will only get  bigger with each passing year. We have a team flying in from Kolkata to take part in this event. It is truly heartening.”

The first match day saw 44 matches being played and a total of 150 goals scored across the 3 venues of North & South Goa.

Seraulim saw five team remain unbeaten on Matchday 1 as Group A saw Limon FC, RR Brazilian and La Masia FC going off to flying starts in the group while SFX and Mix Friends Nuvem took the lead in Group B.

In Camorlim, Qutray Boys and Rebello Brothers are at the top in Group C while Amigos De Clark and Lazy Boys took the lead in Group D.

The North Goa edition saw Sao Paulo and Saligoa Mai Dei Deus remain unbeaten after the first day of action in Group E while Dzire 7 (in Group F) was the only side to win all 3 games on Friday.

The teams will compete in the league stage over the first 3 days before the knockout rounds happening on the grand final day at the Salvador do Mundo ground on Saturday May 7. All games on the final day will be streamed live on FC Goa YouTube channel.

All details of the tournament is available on road2goa.fcgoa.in.