Indian soccer club finally 'nets' one

Indian football clubs have finally made their mark in cyberspace, with Goa's Vasco launching its pioneering web site.

Lynn Baretto Miranda, a web designer and soccer enthusiast, had quite a time convincing the players that it would help them to make their presence felt on the Internet.

"What I noticed is that the foreign players are very interested in having their bio-data on the Net while the Indians seemed very lazy and the Goans appear to be the worst," he told Indo-Asian News Service.

The club (www.vascoclub.com), which completes 50 years this September, was set up in Portuguese-ruled colonial Goa and was inspired by a Brazilian club.

Miranda earlier hosted a football web site at www.indianfootball.8m.com. "I had started it in February 1999. I used to update the site with results everyday as soon as the National Football League games were over," he said.

But after running the site for two years he abandoned it as "there was not much co-operation from the officials and players".

Miranda said he had printed forms and given them to the clubs to have the players fill in their bio-data. "But only FC Kochin (from Kerala) and Tollygunge (from West Bengal) players were kind enough to fill them up," he said.

Vasco has already sold some 50 jerseys through its site in places like the Gulf, Germany, Holland, the U.S. and Singapore, most buyers being Goan expatriates. Its mailing list has 235 members and is growing.

Miranda said sporting clubs could easily gain "wider audiences" by having their own sites. "Fans of the club around the world will be able to log on and get the news and results of the club. The club will be able to earn some revenue selling their official merchandise online," he pointed out.

Vasco's official black-and-white colours are used throughout the web site, which gives results and standings in the Goa and National League for 2000-01. There is also a brief description of the club, the current squad, 50 years of club history, prominent victories, the hall of fame, wallpapers and merchandise. There is also a bulletin board, press articles and a photo album, including a snapshot one of the first Vasco team.

Clube de Desportos Vasco da Gama (now Vasco Sporting Club) was formed in 1951 by residents of the Vasco da Gama port town, which was then just beginning to see a post-World War II iron-ore export boom to countries like Japan and Germany, which were rebuilding their war-ravaged economies. Its members included the Portuguese garrison stationed locally. It was named after a famous Brazilian club and adopted similar colours.

Indo-Asian News Service