Odisha FC recently announced their exciting partnership with Premier League side Watford FC ahead of the upcoming season. Their President, Raj Athwal, has been a part of clubs like Glasgow Rangers and even Watford FC in the past. He believes that the move will change his club and Indian Football as a whole in a very progressive manner.
The Juggernauts had a very bad 2020/21 season where they struggled to find any footing. They came last in the League winning just 2 games out of 20. The remaining games were split into 6 draws and 12 losses. They conceded 44 goal and scored a decent 25, one less than the league average. In the end, they finished with 12 points, 5 less than Kerala Blasters who finished 10th.
This season, however, Odisha FC plan to do things differently. They want to get closer to the local community and spread their goodwill through the club’s endeavours. The development of youth is key to their plans and with the partnerships forged until now, they will succeed.
Odisha FC and Watford FC share the same long-term goal
President of Odisha FC, Raj Athwal has big ambitions to feed through this partnership. He believes that Watford FC and Odisha FC have a similar visions and what they want to achieve as a club. In terms of community and academy development, this will put Odisha FC on another level in the Indian Football spectrum.
Watford FC’s commercial director, Paul O’Brien agreed that the main reason to join forces with Odisha FC was because of their interest in grassroots football. He stated that he did not want a deal wherein they just run away after making a lot of money by making people endorse their brand. He concluded that he is delighted that the clubs struck a deal.
Women’s Football is another common goal of both clubs. They recognize the importance of building strong teams which will a key part of their partnership. Watford have an established professional setup and Odisha FC will surely benefit from it.
Follow our Twitter for regular football news and updates.
