Great Goals gets ready to kick off the fifth edition

CHENNAI : The Great Goals Annual Tournament is back — bigger and better! The fifth edition of the tournament is all set to be held today and tomorrow at YMCA in Nandanam. Great Goals was set up in 2013 by Priya Gopalen, an engineer from BITS-Pilani, and Sandhya Rajan, a Masters-level gold medalist in Science from the University of Madras. Both mothers wanted to ensure their children received good sports training.

Great Goals is now Chennai’s largest football programme for children, offering comprehensive and structured sports coaching for ages 16 and under. Accredited by the All-India Football Federation (AIFF), it offers highly structured football and basketball training for children at different locations across the city, with a special coaching programme that allows the best talents to compete at a national level.This year, there is an introduction of a new-age category with the Under-8 bracket.

“The kind of numbers we have seen this year is staggering,” said Priya. “It just goes to show how much demand there is for a tournament like this. We have had to expand the number of teams in each category. Even in the Under-8 category, we thought we would only have eight teams but have had to increase the number to 12. We also have teams travelling from Coimbatore, Sivagangai and Neyveli which shows that the appetite for something like this is astounding but the opportunities are few.”

Inspired by children’s leagues in the USA, and evolving to support the needs of Indian families, Great Goals has inspired hundreds of children to make sports an integral part of their lives, either recreationally or competitively. Beginning with Multisports classes at age four, players transition to league-based training to hone their skills under professional coaches from India and abroad. Among the programme’s unique features are special modules for girls, which encourage them to continue to play beyond early childhood.

“Our annual tournament seems to grow every year, and what used to be a one-day competition is now a two-day event, with 700 players in 76 teams competing in a league stage and then a knockout stage,” she said. “This year, we are also excited about our new under-8 age category. That kids so young can participate at this level is a testament to the quality of our training, which prepares them for competitive games in a fun yet disciplined way.”

She said that what makes the tournament stand out is its commitment to being a fair tournament. “We’ve always insisted that people should send their proof of age well in advance,” she said.“This ensures that everyone’s fair on age. When we started, people would often ask why they can’t come to the venue and do it at the time of registration. But this year, we have received all the necessary documents in time because there is an awareness of the standards we are setting.”