INDIAN FOOTBALL

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink visits Mumbai and holds a coaching clinic in Dharavi

Graham Potter

Chelsea FC brought the Famous CFC’s Jimmy Floyd to Mumbai this weekend, kicking off the club’s multi-city, worldwide tour. The weekend saw the club hold several activities. Connecting with a wide spectrum of audiences in the city. It is in order to bring the club closer to its supporters in India.

Chelsea icon Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink visited the City of Dreams as part of the trip. And was in attendance for a weekend that began with a social function on March 17th. This also included Bollywood actor Arjun Kapoor, a passionate CFC fan himself.

The highlight of the journey, in my opinion, occurred on March 19th, when Jimmy visited Dharavi with members of the CFC Foundation. They held an interactive coaching workshop at the nearby Ekvira Mitra Mandle community centre.

The charity Reality Gives brought Jimmy around Dharavi ahead of the coaching clinic, where the Chelsea star travelled around the region to grasp some of the fundamental difficulties young people face on a daily basis. Jimmy then participated in an interactive session with 25 community leaders. They have been learning English at the Kamraj Memorial English high school and college in Dharavi. Reality Gives runs it. During the programme, Jimmy shared with the young leaders the problems he had in his career and how he overcame them. As well as stories from his youth.

Jimmy Floyd in coaching clinic in Dharavi

The Dutch icon then took part in an interactive coaching workshop with 16 to 18-year-old at-risk youngsters from the neighborhood. This included entertaining games and exercises, with Jimmy stepping in to lighten the mood.

“The kids here participated with such infectious enthusiasm, it was nice to see them keenly listen to everything the coaches and I had to say during the sessions. I also got a first-hand chance to witness the challenges the kids from the area face on a daily basis in terms of participation in sports, education and basic amenities. It was nice to see them smile during the sessions, as we looked to use the power of sport to make them have fun. I am glad that we were able to meet the children and I hope today’s session will stick with them and inspire them in their future ,” Hasselbaink stated following the masterclass in Dharavi on March 19th.

Chelsea Supporters Club

Before the Dharavi community event, the supporters took centre stage on March 18th. With a Chelsea Supporters Club Football Competition at St. Andrews Turf in Bandra, with Mumbai CISC coming winners while Hasselbaink looked on. The teams’ wish came true as they received their trophies from Chelsea legend Sir Alex Ferguson at the closing ceremony.

Jimmy is a dutch legend. He scored 87 goals in 177 games for the Blues, then attended a special Fan Watch Party in Juhu. The arena was filled with Chelsea fans who had gathered to watch Chelsea play Everton in the Premier League. The intriguing encounter ended 2-2, as the Blues extended their undefeated record to four games in all competitions.

“It has been an amazing experience since the minute I landed, taking in the culture of the city and India has been very unique and rewarding,” Jimmy remarked at the screening. “Indian Chelsea fans are amazing too, I thoroughly enjoyed watching this game with them, as one of them. The sense of community they have is a sight to behold, and their unrelenting chanting and cheering during the game was a spectacle in itself.”   

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