- The Ahmedabad District Football Association was awarded for maximum number of Players Registration
- Best District for Hosting Intra-district Tournament award went to Surat, Best Supportive District Award was given to Rajkot
- ARA FC, Ahmedabad and Navrachna SA, Vadodara were declared joint winners as Best Performing Football Clubs under GSFA’s umbrella
NE SPORTS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JULY 1
Parimal Nathwani, Member of Rajya Sabha and current president of Gujarat State Football Association (GSFA) was re-elected for another 4-years term at the 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the association held in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
Mularajsinh Chudasama was re-elected as the Honorary General Secretary, while Pradipsinh Vaghela, Jignesh Paatil, Arunsingh Rajput and Gunvantbhai Delawala were re-elected as vice presidents. Sandeep Desai replaced Hanif Ginwala as the vice president, while Ankit Patel was elected as the Honorary Treasurer. At the AGM, the best performing district associations and individuals were felicitated with awards by GSFA. The awards are on the lines of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
“Our vision of making football accessible, aspirational and sustainable across Gujarat continues to guide our efforts. This year saw increased representation of Gujarat’s young players, a testament of the growth depth and discipline in our football ecosystem,” said Parimal Nathwani, President of the GSFA, Rajya Sabha member and Director- Corporate Affairs of Reliance Industries Ltd.
He added, “It’s to the credit of the GSFA that during 2024-25, as many as 26 different tournaments were held; 1,168 matches were played in all and 6,468 goals were kicked. In accordance with AIFF’s CRS, there are 7,400 active players from Gujarat, of which 4,836 played.”
The Ahmedabad District Football Association was awarded for maximum number of Players Registration. Best District for Hosting Intra-district Tournament award went to Surat, Best Supportive District Award was given to Rajkot, while the Best Performing Active District award went to Bhavnagar District Football Association. ARA FC, Ahmedabad and Navrachna SA, Vadodara were declared joint winners as Best Performing Football Clubs under GSFA’s umbrella.
In the individual category, Rachana Kamani and Pratik Bajaj were judged Football Referee of the Year in female and male categories respectively, while Coach of the Year award went to Felcina Miranda and Salim Pathan in female and male categories. Similarly, Naazbanu Shaikh and Kishan Singh were felicitated with Emerging Player of the Year award, while Best Player of the Year award went to Tanvi Mavani and Aman Shah in female and male categories respectively.
Mulrajsinh Chudasama, Honorary General Secretary of GSFA., presented the annual activity report and calendar for the new football year. Annual accounts and balance-sheet were also placed before the members. The AGM was preceded by the executive committee members meeting.
Chudasama said, “Over the past four years, Gujarat Football has made a remarkable progress across every aspect of the game. From grassroot development to competitive achievements, the growth we’ve witnessed is a collective success – one that belongs to all involved, irrespective of their position or role.”
GSFA organized various inter-district tournaments for boys and girls under different age groups. Significant among them was a Blue Cubs League (Baby Leagues), the grass-root football for the age groups between 7 and 12 years. A participation of 4,000+ football players from 20 districts was stunning and raised lots of hope for future of football in the State.
GSFA office-bearers, including vice presidents Pradipsinh Vaghela, Gunvantbhai Delawala, Arunsingh Rajput, Sandeep Desai and Honorary Treasurer Ankit Patel along with representatives of 33 district football associations affiliated with the GSFA were present at the AGM.
