FC Goa is delighted to announce that the club has forged a three-year strategic partnership with Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig that will help garner opportunities both in the football and business spheres for the two clubs.
RB Leipzig has been one of the rising forces in German football in recent times ever since their formation in 2009. The club worked its way up the league structure and within a period of 7 years, secured promotion to the Bundesliga by 2016. A season later, in 2017-18 the club ensured a place in the UEFA Champions League. The 2019-20 season again saw them create history, reaching the semi-finals of the premier European competition.
With a vision to grow the beautiful game, the coming together of two of the biggest names in India and Germany presents an opportunity to exchange ideas and make footballing knowledge more easily accessible. The primary focus of the partnership will be Youth Development.
During this period of collaboration, coaches from RB Leipzig’s Academy will be welcomed to Goan shores to impart knowledge via workshops. FC Goa will also be sending coaches and players from the club’s youth set-up for further training and learning the intricacies of the game at RB Leipzig’s Youth Academy.
The Gaurs and The Red Bulls will work in tandem not only to help each other to grow internationally, but also for the development of football in India. The partnership will see both clubs launch a nationwide Soccer Camp programme. The FC Goa National Soccer Camps, both online and offline, supported by RB Leipzig will make superior footballing skills & knowledge accessible to all football enthusiasts across India.
I am delighted to have RB Leipzig as our partners. They have shown the world of football how to build from the ground up and that’s something we resonate with. It is our first international partnership and in RB Leipzig, we have the perfect partner.
Partnerships such as these validate our long-term vision that we have at the Club. Our goal is to develop Indian footballers for the world stage and this partnership helps us create a visible pathway for all young aspiring footballers in India. We have a long way to go, but these steps help build a strong foundation for the future. This is a partnership that gives me even more belief in the direction we are headed.
Akshay Tandon, President & Co-owner, FC Goa to FCG Media
We look forward to our partnership with FC Goa. The club, with its young, modern and innovative approach suits us perfectly. We want to break new ground with RB Leipzig and now we look to take our first steps internationally.
The discussions with those responsible at FC Goa were very open, convincing and effective from the start. The emerging Indian market is therefore an absolutely suitable starting point for our future endeavours. And last but not least, such a partnership offers the opportunity to present the Bundesliga in the best possible way and to act as an ambassador.
Oliver Mintzlaff, CEO, RB Leipzig to FCG Media
So what are FC Goa and RB Leipzig in for? Here are a few things you should know about the partnership:
1. FC Goa Soccer Camps to serve as the cornerstone of the partnership
With an aim to make football knowledge more accessible and helping the children of Goa learn to play the FC Goa way, the FC Goa soccer camps were launched during the 2018/19 season.
After a rousing reaction from everyone in Goa, the Gaurs will look to step up even further, this time with the support of RB Leipzig. The 2020/21 season will see the FC Goa Soccer Camps being held online due to raging pandemic.
This season, though, will see the flagship FC Goa project get a further boost with technical inputs from RB Leipzig. The footballing youth now be able to learn about ingredients that are needed at a young age to take up football and strive to be the best at it. Coaches from both FC Goa and RB Leipzig have come up with a unique curriculum and novel approach which allows for learning as per one’s own pace, personalized feedback and a tailored approach for all players.
In the years ahead, the Gaurs will look to conduct these camps in cities around India, giving the youth a chance to learn from the best and showcase their skills. These camps will also help popularize the game and take modern coaching techniques to the interiors of the country.
The top players scouted through this program will then be accepted into a comprehensive training program under the Technical Directors of both Clubs.
The FC Online Soccer School is already up and running. It is currently accepting interests from youth across the country. To book your spot, click here.
2. Youth development – a key focus
The last decade has been a defining one in football with clubs across the world waking up to the potential of developing their own youth players. Core to that has also been the process of helping create better coaches.
In India and Germany, FC Goa and RB Leipzig have respectively been setting the benchmark in this regard. The 2018/19 season saw the FC Goa Development team lift the Goa Pro League before going unbeaten in the 2019 Durand Cup and winning the 2019 Police Cup.
The FC Goa Developmental side has produced talents that have gone on to shine for the first team. The last three season have seen 5 youngsters step up from the Dev team and play for the senior team.
Meanwhile, more than 250 players in 20 teams filled with young talents are hunting for places in the RB Leipzig senior team – 5 of them are girls’ teams
However, as we all know, both clubs not only just look to set the benchmark but also push the boundaries.
With a partnership like never before, the two clubs in the next three years will strive to make the beautiful game more accessible, and in turn help each other grow.
In November 2014, the RB Leipzig’s junior performance centre, together with its partner schools, was recognised by the DFB (German Football Federation) as a network of elite football schools in Germany. This means that all requirements are met to optimally support young players in fulfilling their sporting and academic obligations.
3. Better coaches = better players
In this collaboration, the focus will be given to help coaches get better footballing education. Coaching teams from RB Leipzig will be welcomed to Goan shores to conduct workshops for the youth coaches at FC Goa.
The Gaurs will also send coaches to Leipzig to accumulate further knowledge about the beautiful game and inculcate best practices from one of the most consistent footballing nations. FC Goa will also be conducting workshops in Germany with the view of imparting knowledge to the German youth about playing the FC Goa way.
The partnership will also see RB Leipzig offer FC Goa the opportunity to hold a training camp at the training grounds of the German Football Associations’ soccer school in Leipzig (Fußballschule Abtnaundorf) in the third year of the partnership.
4. International exposure
The Indian Super League and the Bundesliga are amongst the top most-watched leagues in the world. Last season saw the ISL have a cumulative reach of 168 million and 261 million impressions – a 51% jump in viewership, making it one of the most-watched football leagues in the world.
The Bundesliga, meanwhile remains one amongst the ‘top 4’ European leagues, known for its thrilling end-to-end action supported by a tremendous amount of focus on youth development.
The league is no longer restricted to the German or European borders with matches being televised by more than 70 broadcasters worldwide.
The numbers auger great opportunities and exposure for both the clubs in their future endeavours.
This article first appeared on FC Goa’s website and has been replicated as is.
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