Rangdajied United FC and Indian Super League club Bengaluru FC signed an agreement today with the aim of developing youth players and coaches in Meghalaya.
The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Rangdajied Performance Centre in Pynthorbah here between RUFC President Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Bengaluru’s Director of Football Darren Caldeira.
The move reunites Eugene with an old club of his, having spent four seasons during his playing days with the southern giants.
Under his leadership, Rangdajied began the RUFC Football Schools two years ago and this has grown from 60 children at one centre to several hundred at five where they train year-round.
For those who have the talent and drive to go further, maybe even play for India like Eugene did, partnering with a major club like Bengaluru, with its deep focus on youth football and infrastructure, was a no-brainer.
But the agreement between Rangdajied and Bengaluru goes beyond that by including a coach training component as well.
The result of a year-long discussion is the MoU signed today.
Bengaluru, Eugene said, has “tremendous numbers of players coming out of their youth programme and a vision for football in India.” Meghalaya also has a shortage in the number of qualified coaches it needs if it wants to develop football in every corner of the state. BFC will help the state “bridge the gap between Meghalaya and the rest of the world” in terms of coaching, he added.
Caldeira informed that the agreement is for three years but Bengaluru are looking at it going for much longer. “Rangdajied have the same vision and motivation as we do and we will make sure it’s a very fruitful partnership,” he said.
This is not the first time an ISL club has come knocking looking to collaborate with local clubs but past instances have fizzled out after just a few months or at most a year. Bengaluru, Caldeira insisted, is different.
“We are in it (with Rangdajied) because we see a similar passion. Rangdajied are doing the right things and our partnership should be a long-term one.”
Having been launched in 2013, Bengaluru have managed a fair amount of silverware, with its senior side winning the I-League, ISL, Durand Cup, Federation Cup and Super Cup in that relatively short amount of time.
Underpinning the senior team is Bengaluru’s large youth programme that has more than 1,000 players in the system. Its youth set-up, which features a residential academy on a 40 acre site, previously had a couple of youngsters from Meghalaya – Damaitphang Lyngdoh and Lastborn Mawphniang – but currently doesn’t have anyone from the state in its teams. That could change based on how this partnership goes.
With the deal signed, the first part of this collaboration will see a series of workshops for coaches. Bengaluru’s head of youth development and scouts will also be visiting Shillong soon to share BFC’s youth coaching programme and identify some talent, the first steps in what is hoped is a very promising relationship.
