CHENNAI: It's a growing market for football in Chennai and top clubs from Europe are looking to tap into it. After Italy's Inter Milan came calling a couple of years ago, it's the turn of top Spanish League club Valencia CF.
The two-time Champions League finalists are eyeing a tie-up with the
Chennai Football Association
(CFA) that will see the Spanish club build a state-of-the-art football academy in the city and help in the development of the game at the grassroots level.
"This will be our first international football academy in India. We could have chosen other cities, but the CFA convinced us that this was the right place," Valencia's chief marketing and commercial officer Damia Vidagany, who was at the Jawaharlal Nehru ground on Wednesday to watch a local league match, told TOI.
The club, which has won the top division of the Spanish league on six occasions and is a consistent threat for the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, has already set up academies in other Asian countries like China, Singapore and Malaysia. Now they are looking to explore the Indian market and CFA's initiative has brought them here.
Vidagany and Valencia academy expansion in-charge Luis Martines reached the city on Tuesday and are looking at potential sites to build an academy . Some of the areas which they have already cast their eye on are Porur, Chengelpet and East Coast Road (ECR). “We realise there is a lot of passion for the game here. We are just in the process of deciding the location, among other things. But in spirit, the agreement is done. It's now just a question of time," Vidagany added.
The CFA officials, too, are excited at the prospect of Valencia's involvement in Chennai football. “If things go according to plan, the academy should be in place by 2018. Right now, some of the things that they are interested in finding out are the potential of young footballers in Chennai, the fan base for the game and the interest that people in the city have for the I-League," the official said.
Vidagany said that the prospect of Valencia, who have beaten
La Liga
leaders Real Madrid this season, playing a friendly match in India in the near future may become a reality. “It's definitely a possibility. We are glad with the response to the game in India and could look at opportunities for the Spanish club to build their relationship with India," Vidagany added.
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