New Delhi: Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) have announced a historic deal with English club Southampton FC, who currently play in the first division of English football, to become their International Academy Partner. The deal was announced at an event in Delhi, in the presence of Saints legend Matt Le Tissier, Football Development Manager Programs of Southampton, Tom Grevatt, and Bhaichung Bhutia. In a landmark move for the future of Indian football, the deal with the Saints aims at developing the grassroots coaching system at BBFS, which will help nurture players from a young age.
Being the International Academy Partner, BBFS will get priority access to Southampton’s Academy Performance Plan, which will include the coaches’ philosophy, their tactics, strategy and the curricula for all age groups from the U6 to the U16 levels. In addition to that, BBFS will also have exclusive access to other online coaching resources. There will also be opportunities for player exchanges, staff visits, specialized training camps and tournaments, held both in England and in India.
🚨”Strengthening grassroots is key to national team success, and Southampton will help us achieve that” – says Bhaichung Bhutia on his football school’s partnership with Premier League club Southampton FC.@bhaichung15 @BBFSchools @SouthamptonFC @gargiraut15… pic.twitter.com/lzg0Iox2fW
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) October 3, 2024
Bhaichung Bhutia, the co-founder of BBFS and an icon of the game in India, was delighted with this partnership with the Saints. He was quoted saying, “This partnership is a significant step towards raising the standard of football coaching and player development in India. We are committed to nurturing the next generation of Indian footballers, and this collaboration brings us closer to our vision of producing global football stars.”
The main purpose of this partnership is to enhance football at the grassroots level through coach education. For football to grow in the country, the development needs to happen at the grassroots level for which, having a string of top-tier coaches in the country is necessary. The BBFS currently trains over 2000 coaches and with this collaboration, the Saints will implement their specialized coaching curriculum which will be tailored to the needs of Indian coaches, blending European football with local context.
Why did BBFS partner up with Southampton FC?
Former academy product and club legend Matt Le Tessier was present at the event as well. (Image via XtraTime ‘X’)
Southampton are one of the oldest clubs in English football having been founded before the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, so they are a very well-known club in England. They gained promotion to the Premier League at the end of last season from the Championship, the second tier of English football. However, they haven’t had a great start to the season, registering only a single point from the first six games. So, the question arises why is signing a deal with the Saints a landmark achievement from BBFS?
Apart from the fact that Southampton is a well known English side that plays in arguably the best league in the world and the experience they bring to the kids at BBFS will be immense, there’s another big factor for why the BBFS chose to sign this deal with them. The Saints are well-known as producing some of the best players in football and a lot of the players developed by the club have gone on to achieve great things.
Southampton have had one of the best academies in England for ages and have constantly churned out players that have helped the club over the years. The players either stick with the club after coming from the academy like club legend Matt Le Tissier, who was present at the event, or help the club earn a huge profit on them like they did with the sales of Alan Shearer, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and many more.
Southampton’s academy has produced:
Chris Baird
Gareth Bale
Callum Chambers
Nathan Dyer
Adam Lallana
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Kevin Phillips
Harrison Reed
Luke Shaw
Theo Walcott
James Ward-Prowse
Dennis Wise
Best academy in the country?#SaintsFC pic.twitter.com/gjQI3knJrB
— Second Tier podcast (@secondtierpod) June 27, 2023
Over the years, the club has been responsible for producing brilliant footballers like the aforementioned Alan Shearer, Dennis Wise, Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott and of course, Gareth Bale. The club knows how to develop their players well, whether it be an academy product or a highly rated prospect bought from some other club.
Sadio Mane and Virgil Van Dijk, two of Liverpool’s stars of their only Premier League title win, both honed their skills at the St. Mary’s. Players like Danny Ings, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Dusan Tadic all came to the club from different clubs but showcased some of the best form of their respective careers while plying their trade for the Saints. With the BBFS partnering up with Southampton, it can be seen as an encouraging sign for the future of Indian football considering the club are one of the best when it comes to developing players from a young age.
Former captain of the Indian Football Team, Bhaichung Bhutia, has struck a deal with Premier League club Southampton for his football academy, the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
