Live India, Love Football

It’s Christmas Day and I’m on the train heading back to Delhi from YFC Rurka Kalan in Punjab and feeling high on life. It is the most natural high I’ve felt in awhile.   4 days enjoying simple village life: eating, working out, long walks, playing football, reading and sleeping.   People always say that some of the best talent comes from rural areas and I now believe it more than ever. The boys living in this Punjabi village eat, sleep, drink and breath football.  Outside of school there is little to keep them busy so they spend their free time helping maintain the pitch, working with some of the younger players, watching premiership and La Liga matches on TV, talking about their past or upcoming matches, training (2x a day) and dreaming about their careers.  They are hard-working, focused, humble and have committed themselves to continually developing their game. The above can be said about the players in most village Academies, however what’s special about...

We hosted our 2 nd holiday party at our office the other day. It was a blast and well attended as around 85 people representing many different segments of the Indian football industry turned up for the celebration. It was a special evening for our team as we not only officially turned 2 years old on that day, but we were able to share this moment with our family, friends and so many of the movers and shakers within Indian football.  The night included drinks, dancing, food, speeches and a football quiz testing our guests on their Indian football knowledge.  The overall theme was that we are all part of one family working on building a sustainable foundation for the sport we love in the country we love.  I posted some pictures from the event below. I’m already looking forward to next year’s party…  

I remember when I was working with the MLS League Office, I always appreciated the fact that I was in a position where I could work with multiple organizations around the country on an ongoing basis. It gave me a good sense of what was happening within the football industry and ensured my job was never monotonous or repetitive.  Then there were those few moments when a club would win a big playoff game or MLS Cup and I would envy their celebrations as those individuals working for the club were a part of the same project all year long, riding the ups and the downs. At the league office, my position entailed me to be more like the fun Uncle who would show up with some money, run a program and then take off to the next place. It’s the same here in India. I have the incredibly blessed opportunity to work for the only football consulting agency in the country and travel throughout India studying and working with key stakeholders in the industry. Through this position I meet so m...

Since moving to India 3 years ago, 2 of the biggest clubs in the world have set up shop in the country. One I was actively in involved with (FCBarcelona) and the other I just watched from a far (Manchester United). I had only read stories and seen pictures of the work Manchester United and the Western India Football Association were doing to help Manchester United Soccer Schools set up a permanent base in India, however a few weeks ago I got to live the MUSS experience firsthand.  I was in Mumbai for my colleague’s wedding but made sure that I didn’t leave the city without making a trip to visit Cooperage in lower Mumbai.  So on a warm Monday afternoon I took a wild taxi ride from Bandra to Cooperage and spent a few hours with the MUSS administrative staff and coaches. I must say that I was extremely impressed with the professionalism I experienced while speaking with the personnel and walking through the facility. Pure class tucked away in one of the most chaotic cit...

Over the past month, I’ve learned some important life lessons from arguably the best 16 year old footballer in India, Uttam Rai.  I never expected this to happen, but certainly appreciate existence, Libero Sports and Uttam for making it possible.  Uttam is a U16 national team player from the state of Sikkim who has been on the AIFF radar since he was 13 years of age.  Many people have praised him including former India captain Baichung Bhutia who at one point actually called him “the next Baichung.”  My company also recognized his talents and, more importantly, his potential and signed him as one of our first domestic players we represented with the intention to help him find playing opportunities abroad. Thanks to our relationship with Rush Soccer in Colorado, the world’s largest youth soccer club, we were able to secure a spot for him on Rush’s U18 US Development Academy team.  A long term trip to the US means travel costs and visas. The travel cost...

I remember that during my last trip to India in 2008 about 11 months before moving here, I had the opportunity to travel to multiple locations around the country to donate footballs for a book my friend was writing on the power of sport.  I showed up in Delhi, Vizag (Andhra Pradesh), Baroda and Ahmedabad with the same agenda: travel around the city, check out the places were football is being played, speak with some of the influencers in the area, donate the footballs and take some pictures for the book. It was an extraordinary experience, especially seeing the love for football in the most surprising of locations, but I always remember feeling more like a rock star than a philanthropist meaning that I would just pop in and pop out rather than leave any lasting impact on the places I visited. I had a similar feeling these past few days while in a Madhya Pradesh village.  One of our newest clients is interested in setting up a football academy in this town and we...