Ashton Santa Maria Spurs Calangute’s Sporting Spirit: Football, Youth Take Centre Stage
CALANGUTE, 2 july In a push to bring football and youth together in Calangute constituency, Ashton Santa Maria has emerged as a key patron of local sports, combining Pro League sponsorship with large-scale grassroots initiatives. Santa Maria is currently supporting the Calangute Association as sponsor of its team in the Goa Pro League, giving village talent a platform at the state’s top tier of football. “Our boys need to see a pathway from the village ground to the Pro League. That’s what we’re building,” he said. Beyond professional football, Ashton Santa Maria has organised several grassroots camps across Calangute village in recent months, targeting children in the 8–16 age group. The camps focus on football basics, fitness and discipline, with Calangute Association coaches helping identify promising players for advanced training.The biggest outreach came in February this year, when Santa Maria, together with the Calangute panchayat, organised a constituency-wide Inter-School Sports Day. Over 600 students from all schools in the constituency took part in events including football, volleyball, running, shot put and other track and field disciplines. The day-long event saw packed sidelines as parents and locals cheered participants. Ashton’s support has made sports aspirational again .With monsoon training modules and more inter-school fixtures being planned, Ashton Santa Maria said the goal is to make Calangute a year-round sporting hub. “Tourism is seasonal. But talent is year-round. We want Calangute known for its players,” he added.
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