The AIFF (All India Football Federation) has recognized the Little Gaurs League as one of the top 10 Golden Baby Leagues in India! With that, we also received the opportunity to nominate one player from the Little Gaurs League for a very special gift by Mesut Özil – an autographed Arsenal jersey. The German player gave 10 signed jerseys to the AIFF in a bid to encourage the budding players for their future in football. The top players from the top 10 Golden Baby Leagues received this award.
The Little Gaurs League was recognized for giving 957 players the platform to take part in a competitive league and play regularly. Our efforts to increase the number of girls who take part in the league were also noticed. In the first season, we only had 5 girls, which increased to 230 in the second season. The league has shown tremendous growth in just two seasons and we are thankful to the AIFF for noticing our efforts towards the development of grassroots football in India.
It was difficult for us to choose just one player from the 957 children who participated. We nominated Vivaan Furtado to receive the award – being one of the best players in the Under 6 age category. A part of the Play Goa A team, Vivaan showed some superb skills on the pitch and consistently gave amazing performances. He scored 27 goals in 6 matches and led his team to the top of the table. He not only scored consistently but also led his team to victories in two crucial matches. For a young footballer to play so well in a pressure situation is not something you see every day. We hope that with this award, Vivaan is inspired to improve and maybe take up a few of Özil’s skills from the pitch!
Being recognized as one of the top 10 leagues in the second year of the league is a triumph in itself. This recognition could not have been possible without the efforts of our coaches. They have been a wonderful support system to the players and to us. Also, a special thanks to the parents of all our Little Gaurs for investing their time towards the league, coming to matches and cheering on the players.
This achievement has motivated us and we will continue to work towards making the Little Gaurs League bigger and better – giving more children the opportunity to play, foster the development of coaches and referees, as well as improve the experience for all the parents and players.