Delhi Dynamos to give football a fillip in UP
THE DDFC HAS ALREADY TIED UP WITH GREATER NOIDA INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (GNIDA) TO SET UP THE ACADEMY AT THE SHAHEED VIJAY SINGH SPORTS COMPLEX TO IDENTIFY AND NURTURE YOUNG TALENT IN UTTAR PRADESH
Indian Super League outfit Delhi Dynamos Football Club is all set to make its presence felt in Uttar Pradesh in a big way. The club will conduct activities in all 75 districts across the state.
Sources say the DDFC will not only set up a state-of-the-art football academy in Saifai, but also establish one in Lucknow after launching a training campaign in all schools for children (6 to 17 years) from January.
The DDFC has already tied up with Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) to set up the academy at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Sports Complex to identify and nurture young talent in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had unveiled the Delhi Dynamos jersey in front of the Taj Mahal for the second season of the ISL in September last year. He also discussed development of football with club coach Roberto Carlos.
The club representatives met top officials of the UP Sports Directorate and sports minister Ram Sakal Gujar on Thursday. They submitted the ‘Uttar Pradesh and Delhi Dynamos FC Youth Football Business Plan’.
“The DDFC will provide all the technical support and this will help our footballers harness their skills,” director, sports, RP Singh told HT, adding, “The government has already launched many plans for the development of football in every nook and corner of the state.”
The action plan includes setting up residential academies, holding festivals, soccer schools, UP League and I League, international tournaments, grassroot leagues, interschool tournaments, girls’ team, training, partner leveraging, the Reliance young champs scheme and the Saifai academy.
The Saifai academy will be made operational in November this year. The DDFC Residential Academy in Lucknow will become functional at the same time. This will be followed by hiring of coaches in January. From July next, students of soccer schools and academies will start playing in local, national and international leagues.
“In fact, the plan is to make Uttar Pradesh an alternative venue for DDFC’s ISL matches as the crowd response would be much bigger than what we get to see in place like Delhi,” a DDFC official told HT on condition of anonymity. “Look at the states like Kerala, Goa and even Assam where the game gets a bigger response. We are looking for a similar opportunity in Uttar Pradesh.”