(From left to right) Founder and CEO of Kickstart FC Laxman Bhattarai, Founder and Chairman of Kickstart FC Shekar Rajan, AIFF Vice President and MLA NA Haris, Osvaldo Ardiles and Ledley King exchange jerseys as Kickstart FC inks a partnership deal with Tottenham Hotspur in Bengaluru.
Credit: DH Photo/Pushkar V
Kickstart Football Club on Tuesday announced a three-year partnership with English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur during an event at the Taj Hotel in Bengaluru.
The technical partnership offers Kickstart FC access to Tottenham's global football coaching team, which will shape the training curriculum and footballing aspects of the Bengaluru-based club.
Players from the promising Kickstart FC academy will also get a chance to travel to London and train with Tottenham's youth teams.
Former Tottenham players and current ambassadors Ledley King and Osvaldo Ardiles shared their views on what the partnership brings.
"We want to bring in the expertise of how we develop kids the Tottenham way. We also want to educate the coaches a little bit," King told DH after the launch event on Tuesday.
"For successful partnerships, we must have the same shared values, drive and determination. We see these aspects in Kickstart."
Both King and Ardiles took a tour of Kickstart FC's training facilities upon their arrival in Bengaluru on Monday, and shared some positive feedback.
"The facilities are incredible, very impressed. Everything is in place for the young people to be the best that they can be. We want kids to follow their footballing dreams," former Tottenham captain King said.
"The more parents support spreads across India, football becomes more achievable at the highest level, and then we see the results and trust from the parents to guide the kids down that route.
"Will be nice to have Indian players in the Premier League. To have the people and the infrastructure to facilitate the dreams is important." King added.