A new agreement has been signed between the English Premier League (EPL) and the Indian Super League (ISL) which continues the EPL’s influence and guidance in further developing the Hero ISL.
The partnership, which was first struck six years ago, allows the ISL to work with England’s top-tier, with the organisation sharing techniques on governance, talent development, commercial growth, administration and wider community development.
Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, stated: “We are extremely pleased to reaffirm our long-term commitment to developing football in India by signing a new Mutual Cooperation Agreement.
“Over the past six years, and in partnership with the Hero ISL, we have supported football coaching and development, as well as other areas of the elite side of the game including infrastructure and finance.
“This new agreement brings with it a new focus, this time on the development of youth football, so we look forward to working in collaboration with our Indian counterparts to enhance this area of the game.”
The Next Generation Mumbai Cup, which was integrated during previous collaborations, will also continue to enhance coaching, refereeing and football development in India.
Designed to increase the development of youth level football, the competition will feature three Premier League Under 14 sides, Chelsea FC, Manchester United FC and Southampton FC, traveling to Mumbai to compete against Under 15 players from Bengaluru FC, FC Goa and Reliance Foundation Young Champs.
Premier League coaches and referees will also be training the staff, enhancing the skills of coaches and referees in India.
Chairperson and founder of Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) and Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani added: “The Indian Super League is now forging into the next step of our partnership with Premier League. The association over the last six years has been very satisfying for the work we have done in developing Indian football.
“We would like the two Leagues to further strengthen the tie through the renewed Premier League-ISL partnership to work on youth development, coaching and refereeing aspects.”
Insider Insight: The Premier League’s new partnership with the Hero ISL will continue to develop what is an emerging league. This also ensures that the Premier League’s image will remain prevalent during the process.
