The legendary journey of the First Goan club that won the National Football League, Durand Cup and Federation Cup comes to an end with its senior team being discontinued after formation in 1956
Salgaocar FC will now restrict its operations to U-13 and U-15 youth teams.
PANAJI: There was shock and awe on Tuesday when the Salgaocar FC application documents arrived at the Goa Football Association. For the first time since the storied club was founded in 1956, it failed to submit the senior team’s entry form for the premier Goa football league.
What the GFA received was only the entry forms for U-13 and U-15 teams, bringing the curtains down not just on the
senior team but also the U-18 and U-20 teams
“That’s correct (the club will not field its team for the Goa Professional League),” a senior club official confirmed.
And thus ended an illustrious journey of many firsts for the club that has been synonymous with Goa’s football and
boasted of legends from Menino Figueiredo to Brahmanand Shankwalkar and Bruno Coutinho, both Arjuna awardees,
who donned the club jersey before going on to represent India.
It was in 1956 that Goa’s top industrialist V M Salgaocar, who like every good Goan loved the beautiful game, decided to sponsor a football team. Having established his business, Salgaocar ventured into the football field by initially adopting Vasco Eleven team and made its debut as Vimson – an abbreviation of V M Salgaocar & Sons – in the second division, which they won undefeated. Having moved into the first division the next year, they had to wait for another four years and in the summer of 1961.
As they scorched the fields of football with their beautiful game, Salgaocar also brought about a change in their jersey
colour. From red and black jerseys, they switched to green in 1977.
“The club has passed through many phases, starting with winning local tournaments, gradually moving on to winning
the Rovers Cup and finally the Federation Cup, the NFL and the I-League,” club owner Shivanand Salgaocar said in his
message on ‘Footprints in the Sand’, a club publication that celebrated its 60 years (1956-2016).
“All through the years, I have remained connected with the players. Some of the footballers who continue to work in the company have always had a special relationship with me, much to everyone’s wonder. Even today, whenever I see aformer Salgaocar player, I always feel nostalgic.”
Salgaocar’s resplendent history saw them becoming the first Goan team to win the Federation Cup (1988), first to win
National Football League (1999) and first to win Durand Cup (1999). And they did it in style, a style of their own where the focus was on possession. Such was the dominance of Salgaocar at the DCM Trophy in Delhi in October 1962 that old timers even today get nostalgic when they speak of their performance of captivating beauty.
Salgaocar was the first Goan team to figure in a major all India championship and post-Liberation of Goa in 1961, it attracted the attention of then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. India’s firstPrime Minister hosted the team for a
memorable reception at his residence in an “important image of incorporation and reconciliation” after the
Liberation.
While Goa’s first corporate team won’t be part of the senior tournaments, it has decided to continue focusing on youth. The club will also continue with its Community Outreach Programme for U-10 children.
For several weeks now, Goan football has been on the edge, waiting for a final word from the club on its future as rumours swirled that the club was reconsidering its future.“The entry form is a club’s way to confirm their choice
of competition for the season,” said a GFA official. “It is obvious now that Salgaocar are not participating in the Goa
Pro League and other competitions.”
Salgaocar were regulars in the National FootballLeague (NFL) and I-League, top-tier leagues in India which they won,
but opted out in 2016 after the All India Football Federation presented a ‘Roadmap’ that made Indian Super League (ISL)
