By Salgaocar FC Media Team

Vasco: Salgaocar FC, the only I-League club to have a full-fledged Community Outreach Program will be organising a Grassroots festival on Friday, 15^th May to commemorate ‘AFC Grassroots Day’ at the Chicalim Panchayat Ground. The event is scheduled to commence at 8 am and will witness children from the club’s Community Outreach Program, budding footballers from the club’s U-10 and U-12 teams and children from the club’s three partner schools, participate in the festival.

Coincidentally, the curtains came down on the club’s Community Outreach Program for the current season last month, having been spread over 22 Sundays in the year between October and April. In just the second year of it’s existence, the Program attracted close to 600 girls and boys in the age group of 6 to 11 years and has been very well received by children and parents alike. The fact that kids travel from as far as Ponda and Margao to Vasco every week is testimony to the success of the Program. The children are trained by the club’s highly qualified and experienced coaches and first team players. Given that the children look up to some of the first tem players as role models and watch them in action when taken to the club’s home I-League games, it is extremely motivational for them to turn up every Sunday and share the field with their heroes. The basics of the ‘beautiful game’ are imparted to these budding footballers using techniques that are both fun and engrossing. The most talented boys from the Community Program are inducted into the club’s renowned youth development system.

The club has already organised 2 festivals earlier in the year. The festivals offer the kids the perfect opportunity to showcase their skills with the small-sided games in particular bringing their competitive spirit to the fore.