Liverpool in India.

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http://www.bild.de/BILD/news/bild-english/home/regularieninhalte/sports-ticker/sport/2009/06/09/liverpool-open-indian-football-academy.html

LIVERPOOL FC Premier League club target India

LIVERPOOL FC: The Anfield club have opened an academy in India.

A football academy supported by English football giants Liverpool opened yesterday in the southern Indian city of Pune. The club are attempting to increase their profile in the sub-continent and discover future stars. Anfield-based Liverpool leads the list of Premier League clubs currently trying to tap the massive market potential in the world’s second most populous nation. Chelsea are also looking to follow Liverpool’s lead and establish an academy. Arsenal and Manchester United have started scouting for potential signings and Tottenham Hotspur’s directors have held meetings with Indian companies to form links. Meanwhile, according to the BBC, Indian children have trained with Liverpool’s Mersyide rivals, Everton.

[MrsB]

Premier League giants target India

Bill Wilson, 8 June 2009
BBC News

Monday's opening of a Liverpool Football Club-backed soccer academy in the Indian city of Pune marks the latest chapter in the quest by Premier League teams to gain a foothold in one of the world's largest markets.

East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, the US, as well as more traditional countries such as Canada and Australia, have all been explored as clubs seek to maximise returns on their brands overseas.

But until recently India was seen as off-limits because of the huge popularity of cricket there.

However, a growing and increasingly-affluent middle class, the regular broadcasting of Premier League games, and an identification of English football with youth and glamour means the door is slowly opening.

'Huge potential'

Liverpool and Chelsea are looking at establishing academies with a revenue-earning aspect attached to them, while Arsenal and Manchester United have initiated talent hunt schemes in India.

Tottenham Hotspur has also identified India as one of its targets for international development and has met major Indian firms with a view to forming partnerships. And Indian children have trained at Everton Football Club.

The UK's Deputy High Commissioner in Mumbai, Vicki Treadell, told the BBC at a meeting of UK India Business Council that there were many opportunities for British firms across the sport and luxury brand industry fields, including for football clubs.

"These are markets with huge growth potential and many opportunities for UK and Indian firms to work together," she said.

Liverpool FC is currently looking to refinance its large loans, but that has not stopped its Indian venture.

The Anfield club announced at the turn of the year its ambition to help set up a football development centre at Pune, south of Mumbai, the first of its kind in India.

In February Ian Ayre, the commercial director of Liverpool, went to India to meet Vishwjeet Kadam, the host of the proposed development centre and driving force behind football in Pune.

The club will give technical support, in terms of coaches and scouts, to help train young potential footballers, and in return will receive a high-profile presence in western India.

Mr Ayre has said he envisages the LFC-backed centre "projecting football as a lucrative career option not just as a player, but as a manager, coach, administrator and support staff as well".

And he said Liverpool cannot go into India hoping to sell £45 replica shirts, but must "have a sustainable plan that touches all the demographics of the Indian market".

'New to India'

Indian national team coach Bob Houghton has accused the leading English clubs of getting involved in the country "as a purely business proposition".

But Sharon Bamford, chief executive of the UK Indian Business Council, has praised one of those clubs - Chelsea - for realising they have a corporate social responsibility in the country.

And Chelsea officials insist that they want to build a long-term relationship with potential Indian customers, so that "people feel confident with Chelsea as a product".

"We are new to India," Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said at the meeting of the UK India Business Council at Stamford Bridge.

"We are still at the information and intelligence gathering stage, and are not making money out of it."

He said that over the past year the club had been trying to understand the marketplace, and opportunities for Chelsea.

"I have been there four times in the past year," said Mr Kenyon. "There has been a tremendous enthusiasm and excitement.

"It is a football-mad environment - you see children playing football in the street - but there are different challenges there from other parts of the world.

"However, the boom in Premier League popularity has helped. Kick-off times work very well with India. "

When the Premier League was established in 1992/93 season it was broadcast in 27 countries,. Now it is beamed into 210 nations.

Cricket ascendant

Mr Kenyon said that just because cricket was the number one sport in India it did not mean that football clubs could not be successful.

"India is cricket mad and that is one of the questions we have asked ourselves - 'is there room for football?' We believe that there is.

"It is not about competing with cricket, but finding a niche where football can grow and we can do business.

An indication of the growing interest in football in India can be seen in fact that World Cup TV rights there went for $3m in 2002, but have been sold for the 2010 tournament for $40m.

"Football is bracketed with youth whereas cricket is seen seen somewhat as 'the sport of my fathers'."

However he did acknowledge that Twenty20 cricket was "capturing the imagination" of the same demographic Chelsea is aiming at.

"But the knowledge of Chelsea is already there in the Indian market, it isn't about having to tell them who Chelsea are," Mr Kenyon said.

He said that meant the club could concentrate on looking at the business opportunities.

"If not on day one, but at least along the way, you have to start to generate a return from what you are doing," he said.

"This is a very long term strategy, but we are looking to make money. There is no point in someone being busy all around the world, and not be making some return on it."

'Factor for good'

Chelsea's target demographic is urban, web and mobile literate, and English speaking. Their venture, he said, would also include a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) element.

"Football can be a massive factor for good in India. There is very little in the way of existing-football related social programmes."

Chelsea helped launch and is development partner in the Asian Football Confederation's Vision India programme, to raise standards the games standards in the continent, on and off the field.

While European clubs were keen to lend expertise and experience, India needed to ultimately take the lead in its own football development, Mr Kenyon said.

"There are real, real, positives in India for an English club as I believe football has got a real future in India over the next 10 years ," said Mr Kenyon.

"What we have got to concentrate on is being partners, with everyone from the top administrators down to the grass roots.

"India can experience the same sort of growth pattern in football terms that it has set itself in economic terms."

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Yours is bigger than mine.

[MrsB]

Nah, just longer.

[Vermilion]

Nah, just longer.

Oh that's ok then, mines bigger, yours is longer, i can live with that.

It's good to see were looking at India, makes a lot of sense, it's a country that has huge potential, pity we're not alone though, like years ahead of our rivals for a change.

[Mattshark]

I'll be in India next week.

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I'll be in India next week.

Business or pleasure or both.

[Mattshark]

Business or pleasure or both.

My girlfriends friends wedding. Oddly we have on of the shortest journeys to get there. We also plan to go to Jim Corbett National Park to look for tigers.

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My girlfriends friends wedding. Oddly we have on of the shortest journeys to get there. We also plan to go to Jim Corbett National Park to look for tigers.

How fantastic does that sound, should be really enjoyable, hope it is.

[Mattshark]

How fantastic does that sound, should be really enjoyable, hope it is.

Me too, cheers mate

[dom9]

Back on topic, this is doomed to failure in the same way American Football failed in this country.

Indians, by and large are obsessed with cricket. Cricket to them is like football to us. Anything else is a minority activity.

[powerpack]

Back on topic, this is doomed to failure in the same way American Football failed in this country.

Indians, by and large are obsessed with cricket. Cricket to them is like football to us. Anything else is a minority activity.

I disagree, having been to Indian several times and seen the popularity of the 'EPL' as they call it there (they get more live matches then we do) I don't think we can just write it off like that yet. Yes it is second fiddle to cricket but I see more kids playing footy there then see people playing cricket here. Letssee what happens, its not just us, Scum, Chavs and Gooners amongst others are looking into this, you'd assume they've done some proper research before deciding to invest.

[Guest]

I think LFC are just trying to target an area where the population is huge and potential for exploitation is real. Not sure it's the right thing to do because I doubt Indians would really be interested about football. They're very conservative people out there.

[carheex]

Back on topic, this is doomed to failure in the same way American Football failed in this country.

Indians, by and large are obsessed with cricket. Cricket to them is like football to us. Anything else is a minority activity.

I agree - what a waste of time and money setting up an academy in India! Typical LFC.

[dww]

Back on topic, this is doomed to failure in the same way American Football failed in this country.

Indians, by and large are obsessed with cricket. Cricket to them is like football to us. Anything else is a minority activity.

The thing is though that a minority activity could still be quite a large number of people India. Cricket and Rugby are minority sports here but generate decent income. It really does depend on how much we are investing in this project but potentially it could be a very low cost and hence low risk endeavor with potentially large benefits in future.

I don't think it is the same as American football here as football is so easy to play - American football without the requisite organisation is just throwing a ball about. It's not clear that it will take off but at the same time I don't think it is necessarily doomed.