Football's artful solution

Football club New Delhi Heroes might kickstart enthusiasm for the game.

Football has never been Delhi's favourite sport and it would not be inappropriate to say that the game has not even seen sporadic growth in the city.

There are very few football clubs based in Delhi and they haven't achieved much at the national level. But there seems to be a new hope for the game.

Art auction house Osian's along with IOS Sports & Leisure (Infinity Optimal Solutions, a talent and celebrity management company) have come together to take over a Delhi football club known as New Delhi Heroes.

The aim of taking over New Delhi Heroes is to provide football fans in Delhi with a club that competes at the national and hopefully at the international level as well. It looks like a mammoth task as things have to be started from scratch.

But Neville Tuli, founder-chairman, Osian's is confident. "We want to make the club a pioneer in Indian football. Right from its management to training facilities available, every thing will be world-class."

Tuli says that he is in it for the long term and is not hoping for instant success. "We will conduct regular training camps under foreign coaches and build both a youth academy and a training centre to foster talent".

Neerav Tomar, CEO, IOS, too wants the city to wake up to the potential of this beautiful game: "We will take one thing at a time and gradually claw our way back to the top tier of national football."

The idea is to sign on players who have represented the Indian team or have played in the National Football League (NFL) division 1 clubs apart from having coaches with national and international pedigree.

The management has already initiated talks with several players and is looking to rope in Nigerian Cheema Okerie for a coaching stint. The plan looks and sounds ambitious, but what shape it is likely to take remains to be seen.

For starters, it looks like Delhi might finally be on the football map of the country.