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The top-flight club is launching the first international club branded residential Academy in the country
Liverpool Football Club in partnership with the Indian team DSK Shivajians Football Club today announced the launch of a full-time coaching academy in India, LFC International Football Academy DSK. This academy will be a world class purpose-built residential complex, featuring full-size pitches, practice areas, classrooms, changing rooms, a gym, canteen, lecture theatre, residential and medical facilities.
The LFC International Football Academy will officially open in first week of January 2014 and will be a market-leading development center for young players in India, servicing DSK Shivajians. The programme, which will support aspiring young footballers up to the ages of 18, will provide promising players with the opportunity to develop their game in a professional academy environment.
“At the Academy in Liverpool we aim to develop outstanding players and good human beings. The results speak for themselves as just 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 to India” said Academy Director, Frank McParland.
Coaches from Liverpool FC will work on the project in India and will pass on technical expertise from the Club to the players and coaches involved in the Academy. Over time the Club will introduce more full time coaches from Liverpool FC to oversee each age group at the Academy.
“This is the first time an English top-flight club has partnered with an Indian team to help them bring through local talent. Millions of our LFC family are based in India so we are very excited to be working with DSK Shivajians and being part of the game’s development in the country,” commented Chief Commercial Officer at Liverpool FC, Billy Hogan.
The brainchild of this strategic partnership is Mr. Shirish Kulkarni himself, Executive Director of DSK Group. Speaking about the partnership, Mr. Shirish Kulkarni said “This is a strategic move for us at DSK Shivajians FC and as well as for aspiring young footballers who will get the opportunity to train and get direct supervision from one of the world’s most reputed football clubs, Liverpool FC. We are delighted with this partnership and believe that this will go a long way in inspiring and honing skills of both current players and aspirants and give them an opportunity to actualize their potential.”
Mr. Kulkarni further added, “I am a footballer at heart and Liverpool has always been my favorite club. I have been playing from a young age with DSK Shivajians and a dream team till now was just that…a dream. However, it is today our privilege to be in a position where we can, not just help bring in a world-class pool of talent, infrastructure and expertise to Indian grounds but also to do it with a club that has my loyalties. I am very confident that this academy will go a long way in placing India strongly on the national and international map of professional football.”
DSK Shivajians will utilize their facilities at DSK Supinfocom International, situated in Loni for this facility. This new facility will also enable Liverpool FC to run its world-renowned soccer schools programme, giving youngsters the opportunity to learn how to play football the same way as Liverpool FC greats Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard.
This strategic partnership has been facilitated by India’s leading football consultancy Libero Sports India which has extensive experience in managing football projects as well as football players in the South Asia region.
About DSK Shivajians FC
Established in 1987, DSK Shivajians Football Club Pvt Ltd has a rich legacy of football and over the years has become one of the leading clubs in India. Headed by Mr. Shirish Kulkarni the club has transformed into a professional institute of sports, where players from across the country have been trained and are currently playing for the club. In 2013, the club has participated in I League 2nd Division. In the present squad Bikramjeet Singh has represented India Under – 19 team.
