DSK Shivajians hope to do better in 2nd season in I-League

Into their second season in the I-League after finishing at the bottom of the table last year, Pune-based DSK Shivajians hope to dish out a better show this time with the team having undergone an "intense preparation" under a new coach.
DSK Shivajians were one of the corporate clubs given a direct entry in the 2015-16 I-League season and they were given immunity from relegation for three seasons. The club owned by DSK Group finished last in the nine-team I-League last season.
They are the first professional side in India to have tied up with a major international football club in Liverpool FC alongwith whom they run their academy in Pune since 2014.

Just after the 2015-16 season ended, DSK roped in Dave Rogers, who was till then managing Liverpool International Academy-DSK Shivajians, as first team coach, made changes in the support staff and began high intensity training early for the upcoming season beginning on January 7.
Their Chief Executive Officer Neel Shah is hopeful that DSK will get better this time with the experience of last season and the changes brought about in its set-up.
"The 2015/16 I-League season was a great learning for the entire organisation. It was the first time that we had the opportunity to play at the highest levels of Indian football in our 29-year history and as a club and we took away great deal from the experience both on and off the pitch," Shah told PTI in an interview.

"As soon as the (last) season ended, we completely revamped the club to better prepare ourselves for the future. We started by appointing Dave Rogers as our first team manager and brought in a few more coaches from Europe to solidify and strengthen our backroom staff at both the senior and academy levels," said Shah.

"We are well prepared for the upcoming I-League season. Our technical staff and players have been on campus since July last year going through high intensity training which reflected in our strong performances at the Durand Cup in September and most recently at the DSK Cup which we won for the 3rd straight year," he said.

Shah said roping in Rogers was "an easy decision given his European football experience, success while overseeing our academy and knowledge of the Indian football landscape".
41-year-old Liverpool-born Rogers has a lot of experience in top-level European football, winning the Ireland Premier League thrice in four seasons.
Established in 1987, DSK are known for their youth development policy, with the full-fledged Academy (Liverpool International Academy-DSK Shivajians) and Shah said their main philosophy remains to churn out talent with strong focus at grassroot development.
"Our U-18 and U-16 teams have been doing well and we recently launched a Player Development Centre for 6-14 year-olds to build the base of our player development pyramid. Our contribution to the sport and industry is to build a model case study that hopefully other Indian football investors will look to emulate in the future as we collectively attempt to develop the sport in this country," said the club CEO.

Asked how much his club has benefited from the association with LFC International Football Academy, he said, "We entered into a long-term partnership with Liverpool FC with the clear objective of building the best residential youth academy in the country. We are now almost three years into the partnership and I can honestly say that the results have been better than initially expected.
"Thanks to the might of the Liverpool FC brand, their quality coaches and commitment to this project, we have been able to attract some of India's finest young talent and nurture their growth in a professional environment tailored after the LFC Academy in Kirkby, UK," he said.

"The formula seems to be working as we have produced eight players who have represented their national teams at various levels and we have now invited nine academy graduates up to our senior squad."
Shah said as a product I-League has a long way to go and it will need to strengthen its broadcasting aspect to make it more marketable.
"The I-League has come a long way since its inception in 2007 and yet it still has a long way to go. I am happy with the stringent enforcement of AFC licensing criteria as well as the addition of professional ownership groups like JSW and now DSK Group. Also, the Aizawl FC story is a fantastic one and I am consistently amazed by the passion of East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan supporters," he said.

"It will be important for the entire broadcast element of the League to become stronger. Indian Super League has proven that with the right packaging and promotion, Indians will consume domestic football in high numbers. There is a lot more that we can do with our broadcast partner to achieve the type of national attention that ISL has garnered.
"Also, all league stakeholders will need to work together to figure out a system to ensure clubs are incentivised for investing in themselves."
Shah is also supportive of the All India Football Federation's plan to make ISL the top league in the country, possibly from next season, with the addition of a few clubs from the current I-League which itself will then be made the second tier of the domestic structure.

"ISL has been a positive in that it has brought new investors into the industry, created a high profile platform for Indian players to showcase their talent and increased the national consumption of football in the country," he said.
"For our sake and for the sake of Indian football, I hope the merger will happen starting next season as it's critical that we have one consolidated football league structure in India. This will serve to ensure players develop properly through one system, we have a set calendar year on year and the domestic landscape is clearer for all stakeholders involved.