'Our immediate plan is grassroots enhancement': Hyderabad FC owner on club's partnership with Borussia Dortmund
Hyderabad FC and Borussia Dortmund are committed towards the improvement of the Indian football grassroots and youth development, according to Varun Tripuraneni, owner of the Indian Super League (ISL) franchise.
Both clubs recently announced their two-year partnership with an option to extend for additional years.
Speaking to Sportskeeda during an online press conference, Tripuraneni said:
"This partnership is more about the grassroots. Of course, we are in talks with a couple of members in Hyderabad for the academy, but our immediate plan is the grassroot enhancement. We believe Borussia Dortmund could help us in many ways as we continue to evolve."
The Hyderabad FC owner added that the clubs are not looking to exchange any first-team stars as their focus is currently on the improvement of proceedings at the grassroots level. He said:
"We are currently not looking to trade players between two sides, and our focus lies on the grassroot."
Meanwhile, Suresh Letchmanan, managing director of BVB Asia Pacific, divulged that the clubs have discussed various schemes to improve the youth set-up in India and improve Borussia Dortmund's market in the subcontinent in the process. He said:
"We agreed to this deal for mutual benefit. We are here to build a strong youth setup, and our fan success is renowned to the globe as well. Many exciting activities have been planned and it will be performed after the COVID vanishes. We have a special relationship between Borussia Dortmund and Hyderabad FC."
Over the past few years, several Indian clubs including Bengaluru FC, Chennai City FC and Jamshedpur FC have been associated with European giants like Rangers, FC Basel and Atletico Madrid.
Hyderabad's tie-up with Borussia Dortmund will only contribute towards the growth of Indian prodigies, as per Borussia Dortmund's managing director Carsten Cramer. He said:
"The idea is to be more connected more. Travelling to India for a friendly is on the cards, but Borussia Dortmund is not just prioritizing it. When we talk about following our foot print, it is about everything. But, we are going to concentrate more on the youth set up for now and take it forward.
Cramer concluded:
"We want to help Hyderabad and pass our ideas to them. The DNA of Hyderabad FC is to develop youngsters. This bodes well with our philosophy of nurturing youngsters."
Hyderabad FC have appointed Albert Roca to the managerial seat and are hoping to bounce back in the upcoming Indian Super League campaign after a catastrophic year under Phil Brown.