Liverpool FC set to launch its football academy in India

The announcement, which Liverpool supporters in India were looking forward to, is finally being made. The premiere league club on Wednesday on its website, www.liverpoolfc.com, revealed that it will be establishing a club’s academy in the Indian city of Pune. Though this news was initially hinted my Ian Rush during his tour of the country few years ago, the project could got an official nod only in recent days.

The club said that it had joined forces with Indian team DSK Shivajians FC for developing full-time coaching academy in Maharashtra.

The club said that the LFC International Football Academy DSK will officially opened in the first week of January 2014 and will be a world-class, purpose-built residential complex featuring full-size pitches, practice areas, classrooms, changing rooms, a gym, canteen, lecture theatre and medical facilities.

This new venture will target at young players in India and will support aspiring footballers up to the age of 18 with the opportunity to develop their game in a professional academy environment.

Frank McParland , LFC academy director said, “At the Academy in Liverpool we aim to develop outstanding players and good human beings.

“The results speak for themselves, as last season seven Academy players made their first-team debuts. Education and community work is key to the development of our young players and we look forward to taking our knowledge and experience of developing young footballers to India.”

The club, as part of its long time venture in India, will look towards more full-time coaches from Liverpool FC to oversee each age group at the new academy.

“This is the first time an English top-flight club has partnered with an Indian team to help them bring through local talent,” added Billy Hogan, LFC’s chief commercial officer.

Speaking about the partnership with Liverpool FC, Mr Shirish Kulkarni, executive director of DSK Group, said: “This is a strategic move for us at DSK Shivajians FC which will give aspiring young footballers the opportunity to be coached by one of the world’s most famous football clubs – Liverpool FC.

“We are delighted with this partnership and believe that this will go a long way in inspiring and honing the skills of both the current players and those who aspire to follow them into the game. This will give them an opportunity to realise their potential.

“I am very confident that this academy will go a long way in placing India strongly on the national and international professional football map.”

DSK Shivajians FC will utilise their facilities at DSK Supinfocom International, situated in Loni, Pune, for the new academy, where Liverpool FC will also run its world-renowned soccer schools programme, giving youngsters the opportunity to learn how to play football the same way Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher, Steven Gerrard and Raheem Sterling once did.

Liverpool FC has been showing some keen interest towards its India for sometime now as it is the only premiere league club to have a dedicated Twitter handle — @LFCIndia — for it’s Indian fans.

— Quotes from Liverpool FC’s official website