PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Nov 16: With an aim to support and promote Indian football, the country’s largest lender, SBI, has entered into a strategic partnership with Jamshedpur Football Club (JFC), the football club owned by Tata Steel.
The bank signed a landmark agreement with the JFC – making this a first major endeavour by SBI in the game of football. With this partnership, SBI will be one of the principal sponsors of JFC.
The partnership was announced in the presence of Ashwani Bhatia, managing director, SBI and TV Narendran, CEO and managing director, Tata Steel.
After signing the agreement Ashwani Bhatia said, “India has a rich football history and it is a matter of time that India enters the big stage of football. There have been rapid strides in Indian football over the past decade, especially with the advent of the Indian Super League. Tata Steel has been at the forefront of promoting football and has continuously produced champion players over the past three decades via the Tata Football Academy. JFC is a step ahead in the same direction and the packed stands, every year, at the JRD Tata Sports complex speak volumes of the popularity of football amongst its legion of fans. Not just that, but, JFC has done incredible work in the grassroots, youth football and coach education, all the while engaging with these fans. We also have a long-standing relationship with Tata Steel and the Tata Group and this partnership will help us to promote sports and more specifically football. These reasons made our decision very simple to partner with JFC, one of the top professional football clubs of India.”
He wished coach Owen Coyle and the players all the very best for the current season.
” The steps have been in the right direction over the past few years and JFC has the potential to become one of the top clubs in Asia and the world,” he added.
Commenting further on the partnership, Narendran remarked: “We are pleased to have SBI as one of the principal sponsors of the Jamshedpur Football Club. We believe working with SBI will be a mutually rewarding association, in the years to come. I am sure that this partnership will help create great value for JFC including their senior team, youth, and Grassroots programs, the club’s passionate fan base and set higher benchmarks for the sport overall.”
Chanakya Chaudhary, JFC chairman and vice-president, Corporate Services, Tata Steel said, “Over the years, JFC has put in massive efforts and strides in community engagement. Our matches at the JRD Tata Sports Complex achieve the highest average attendance in the ISL. Our grassroots programme has engaged thousands of kids in Jharkhand coupled with Tata Steel’s rich history with youth development in football via the Tata Football Academy. Our association with SBI is very encouraging as we aim to achieve success on and off the pitch. We welcome SBI as our sponsor and look forward to our long association.”
The iconic JFC match jersey will now feature the SBI logo. The two brands will also actively engage with fans via the first team and also during the broadcast of Indian Super League (ISL).
The interaction with fans will continue on the digital platforms of SBI and JFC as well.
