1. A brand-new team for the new season. How is FC Jamshedpur shaping up for its first season of Indian Super League (ISL)?
The team looks to be in good shape and overall balanced. In the ISL draft we picked some of the best Indian talents available to create a very strong core group. We have signed some experienced foreign players namely Andre Bikey, Sameehg Doutie, Kervens Belfort, Memo, Trindade and Tiri. All these players have had prior experience of playing in the ISL and we believe they will create a fantastic atmosphere and add a lot of value along with their Indian counterparts.
2. It was only apt that the Jamshedpur team comes to Tata Steel. How was it at the Mumbai ISL draft? Can you share some information about your top picks and what they mean for the team?
The technical team did a good amount of home work on the strategy for selection of players across positions. We managed to get the desired picks with a good mix of youth and experience.
We picked Subrata Paul, an ex-TFA cadet and an Arjuna awardee, who has consistently represented India for the past decade. The obvious choice was Indian footballer of the year 2016, Anas Edathodika. We added three current Indian internationals in Bikash Jairu, Sumeet Passi and Jerry Mawihmingthanga. Our other picks such as seasoned midfield maestro Mehtab Hossain and Ashim Biswas brought in the desired experience while Siddharth Singh, Souvik Chakraborti and Farukh Choudhary brought in the element of youth to add balance to the squad.
Overall, the draft went according to our plans and we look forward to work hard in pre- season and gear up for the tough ISL campaign ahead.
3. What does the former Manchester United star Steve Coppell’s presence as coach mean for Jamshedpur FC?
Steve Coppell, a Manchester United legend, has an exemplary track record as a player and coach. He has had successful stints with top Premier League clubs like Crystal Palace, Manchester City, Reading as head coach, over the past two decades.
In his first season as manager in the ISL (2016) with Kerala Blasters, he successfully led them to the finals. His in-depth technical knowledge, vast experience in professional football and past performances made him an easy choice as the first team coach.
Steve Coppell’s values align with the ethos and philosophy of the Tata group and with this synergy we look forward to performing on field.
4. Jamshedpur has a rich history of football. Can you take us through the journey of Tata Steel’s association with sports – and football – over the years?
Tata’s have been associated with sports and particularly football for decades. Our association with the beautiful game dates to the early 80’s when we hosted Super Soccer Series with participation from top international football clubs such as Sao Paolo (Brazil), Bochum (Germany) and PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands). Tata Football Academy was launched in 1987 and has been the nursery of Indian Football having produced 137 players and who have represented India at various levels out of which 19 have captained the team. TFA has been the feeder to Indian football and we look to continue to do so.
5. Many cadets from TFA have made it to the National level and several are currently playing in the ISL. Can you share some of the notable success stories?
We were happy to see that around one-third of the Indian players in ISL are ex-TFA cadets. Our goalkeeper Subrata Paul himself is a TFA cadet and is representing India at the highest level for many years. As mentioned earlier TFA has produced 137 national players to name a few Renedy Singh, Clifford Miranda, Syed Rahim Nabi, Rino Anto, Robin Singh, Udanta Singh, Narayan Das, Pronoy Halder, Alwyn George, Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Deepak Mondal etc. Many of these players are playing currently for the national team and have gone onto win all the major national competitions like the ISL, I-League, Federation Cup, IFA Shield, etc. Recently, Alwyn George and Udanta Singh went onto play the AFC cup 2016 finals.
6. What is unique about the talent-identifying and nurturing process at TFA that creates world class football players?
At TFA, we identify talent by scouting across the nation purely on merit. We hold multiple rounds of screening through our panel of qualified coaches who scout players basis our pre-defined physical and technical parameters. In the next four years, we provide the cadets with comprehensive football training with an additional thrust on their nutrition and fitness to convert them into top football professionals by the time they graduate. Further to this, we place special emphasis on their education and overall personality development.
7. From a football academy to having your own ISL team now, Tata Steel is associated with the game at every level. What are the future plans?
The long-term vision is to engage the local and tribal community and develop local players who would go on to represent club and country.
With Jamshedpur FC we look to enhance the overall football eco-system encompassing grassroots football, youth football, women’s football, age group tournaments, local leagues, coach education, referee education, infrastructure development and implement best practices in administration, management and operations. The people of Jamshedpur and Jharkhand will ultimately be beneficiaries of the ISL.
