New Delhi: It’s official that Liverpool have entered into the Indian market, though with a view to give rather than take. The Premier League club has tied-up with Abhijit Kadam Memorial Foundation (AKMF), along with a UK based football business house, Kickworldwide and Bhartiya Vidyapeeth University to initiate a Football Development Centre in Pune, India.
This is the first of its kind initiative in the nation which aims to educate the populace about the football industry as a whole which includes coaching, refereeing, sports turf technology and sports science.
"We know about English Premier League clubs' attitude towards the Asian market and they are being criticized for the same. We are here looking for a sustainable solution and build real foundation. This is not a gimmick or a marketing strategy. This project brings football together with first class education and an ambition to feed the Indian game. There are about six projects which we plan to unveil in the Indian market which will be centred on licensing, sponsorship and much more," said Liverpool Commercial Director Ian Ayre.
Liverpool will invest in the project, not with ‘hard cash’ but by providing expertise.
Kickworldwide’s Director, Steve Bellis highlighted the need for infrastructure and branded the project as ‘genuine’ which would help India achieve its dream of making it into the 2018 World Cup.
"The aim is to nurture football and talent, something which has never been seen here. Some of the best footballing nations have the best infrastructure, referees, players, etc. Instead of just helping the playing side of things, we decided to approach the market properly," said Bellis.
All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Alberto Colaco praised the venture and went on to mention the need of human resource in Indian football.
"Besides infrastructure, what Indian football needs is good human resource. We need better marketing people, qualified professionals. This effort shall go a long way to provide this support."
Vishwajeet Kadam, who is the Vice President of the Western India Football Association and managing trustee of the AKMF, thanked Liverpool and Kickworldwide for helping them come out with this initiative.
"In fact, when the project was conceived we, at AKMF, were looking at starting a venture of big magnitude on if we were able to convince and rope in a big name from the world of football. Liverpool fits the bill moreover their interest thanks to Kickworldwide’s persistence has enabled the Football Development Centre become reality."
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