Bangkok: Like many English Premier League (EPL) sides scouting for opportunities in Asia, Tottenham Hotspur have started exploring a long-term tie-up in India to train players at the grassroots level and coaches.
India will be part of the club’s international development project for Asia and it hopes to sew up the deal in the next six months, says Tottenham Hotspur’s Head of Football Development Mark Jones.
Jones, who was in the Thai capital for the Yamaha ASEAN Under-13 football tournament last week, said Tottenham Hotspur, commonly referred to as Spurs, is looking for an Indian partner to help it understand the culture before finalising its plans.
“The club has done some research on India. We are looking for some regional partners who can help us understand the culture of the country. There is no point in our team landing there without knowing how things work in the country,” Jones told a visiting IANS correspondent.
“Finding regional support with local coaches helps us understand how things run in the country. Over a period of time, we can develop the Indian coaches too.”
Spurs, he says, want to concentrate on the school programmes and make football a part of the curriculum. “We have a vision for India and we do not want to limit ourselves to holding only soccer camps on holidays.”
EPL teams like Arsenal and Chelsea have also shown interest in Indian football, but Spurs, insists Jones, have a clear-cut long-term vision.
“It is different. They come out with franchise while what we do is to have a long-term plan to develop the local coaches along with the players.”
Spurs have launched their Asian development programme in Malaysia on a two-year partnership with marketing firm Football Focus Asia. This will give footballers aged 10-18, across all regions, the opportunity to experience professional football training with Spurs Football Development team of coaches.
The club is even setting up a full-time academy in Singapore and plans to pursue similar development goals in other Asian countries, including India.
“We have an academy in England with centres all over the country, but in Singapore we will have our first full-fledged academy.” (IANS)