The new season of the Indian Super League will be upon us soon. Jamshedpur FC’s activities in the market has seen some huge player signings and caught the eyes of football fanatics with the likes of ISL 2019-20 Golden Boot winner, Nerijus Valskis, former Motherwell F.C. captain and defender, Peter Hartley and Nigerian International defender, Stephen Eze joining the club.
In a recent webinar Head Coach, Owen Coyle and the club CEO, Mukul Choudhari discussed the growth of Indian football, Jamshedpur FC, scouting of young players and the importance of infrastructure with Project Head, Naval Tata Hockey Academy Rajiv Seth and host Diksha Tiwary.
Here are few excerpts from the session:
On Jamshedpur FC’s infrastructure…
Owen: We have an outstanding stadium. One thing I believe that stands out is the playing surface of the stadium. It is as good as the Wembley stadium.
On contributing towards improving young talent and how important it is…
Owen: Everything in Jamshedpur was perfect for me. I am very excited to help the young Indian players grow overall because even for them, their biggest aim is to represent the national football team globally.
On strategies to keep up the quality of the infrastructure…
Mukul: We are very lucky that the city is completely managed by Tata Steel. We wanted to bring in world-class infrastructure, especially with the practice stadium so that there is no compromise of any form. We wanted to make sure that as the sport evolves, we too provide the best facilities that would help the team excel - be it the junior or the senior team, because infrastructure makes a big difference in terms of the development of any sport.
On expectations from Jamshedpur FC this ISL season…
Owen: We have brought in some very good players to the club. We already have players like Aitor and David and some fantastic young Indian talent this season, so I feel we are ready to stand toe to toe with some fantastic clubs in the ISL. In the end, no matter what, our strength will be as a group.
Mukul: It's about putting together an entertaining football match where people start believing and liking the way we play. That's our aim for this season of ISL.
On the importance of finding young talent…
Owen: When we look at Jamshedpur FC, we have 5-6 young Indian players who could easily be national team players, and that's what we want to do for them. Because, if you do well for the club, then that attracts the national team's eye and there is nothing bigger than representing your own country.
On the importance of finding young talent…
Mukul: We keep on scouting young talent as we have an academy of our own and a reserve team. That has been the system since the beginning, and we will continue to actively look for young talented players who can be put into the system that will eventually help them grow as players.
On how local talent can help the club grow…
Owen: When you develop local talent, fans immediately feel like they have found an identity for themselves. So, the more local talent we find, the better it will be for the club to grow as well.
