Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund (BVB) and ISL side Hyderabad FC launched a two-year club partnership with an option to extend it.
BVB will help Hyderabad FC build its academy structure and guide them through their youth development program. They will also assist HFC’s coaches through a coaching education program and further grassroots initiatives.
Additionally, the partnership will use Dortmund’s expertise in technology to drive innovation.
I am delighted to announce this partnership with HFC, which comes at a quite challenging time for all of us during this Covid-19 pandemic, as this partnership shows that sports and particularly football can unites people from all over the world and I’m grateful for the trust that the board of HFC has in us.
We always look at long-term objectives. We will assess the coaches at Hyderabad FC and guide them through the whole programme. Hyderabad is not looking for success in the short term and they have a long term vision to build their own identity. The identity is built by young players who go on to play for the club. BVB will help them in doing that.
People will love a club when the young players perform at the highest stage. We should look to involve as many people as possible from the community. The current situation does not allow us to be on the ground but we will be doing that as soon as it permits. Without the partnership, no one would believe that we have a serious interest in the region.
Carsten Cramer, Managing Director, Borussia Dortmund.
We’re extremely delighted and honoured to partner Borussia Dortmund, one of the biggest clubs in the world. This partnership is an historic one for Indian football and start of a new era at HFC. We at Hyderabad, are committed to developing the football ecosystem in the region and our association with BVB will go a long way in helping us achieve success both on and off the pitch.
It is important for a club like us to do the right thing from the beginning. This partnership with BVB is a step towards that. It will help us learn and understand how they have built a strong brand across the world and the key ingredients required to set up a robust youth programme.
It is important to revive the history of football of Hyderabad. Hopefully, benefitting from this partnership we will have a few representations in the Indian national team as well. The vision of the two clubs are similar and it goes beyond just the black and yellow colours. This will hopefully benefit both the clubs.
Varun Tripuraneni, Co-Owner, Hyderabad FC.
The two primary pillars of this partnership are fan engagement and youth programmes. We are not looking for the next superstar of Bundesliga from this project. We want to give the youngsters a chance to train in Dortmund. Our coaches will look at how capable they are in playing with their European counterparts. With this partnership, we want to plant a flag in India and bridge the two cultures. This gives us the perfect opportunity.
We want to have a bigger presence in India. We will be pushing our own merchandise. We will be pushing more through the media. We want to build more with Indian brands those who want to collaborate with us. So, we want to be visible and seen in India and at the same time be loved as well.
Suresh Letchmanan, Managing Director, BVB APAC (Asia Pacific).
Dortmund is also planning to come up with fan engagement and coaching webinars to assist HFC and build both brands and their fanbases; while Tripuraneni expects a fully residential academy to be operational next year.
This marks BVB’s first partnership with a club in India. They have ongoing club partnerships with Thai Premier League Club Buriram United, Australia’s NPL Club Marconi FC and Iwate Grulla Morioka in Japan.
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