Exclusive: How South United FC is becoming the pioneer of Indian academy football

Indian football has seen rapid growth in the last decade with the rise of national football leagues like the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League. While the focus is entirely on the higher level of football, the backbone of that success has always been academy football. South United FootballClub (commonly known as SUFC) from Bengaluru has emerged as a prominent club among the network of football sides with the best academies in India.

The club, which is built with a long-term vision is being regarded as one of the best in the country. In an exclusive conversation with WION, Director Sharan Parikh shed light on how the club operates and how it overcame challenges to set up one of India’s most profitable football academies.

“The power of sports in India has been tremendous, and when it comes to football, we have been blessed with some of the best communities in the country. I think if Indian football is to progress, we need a good programme at grassroots level and with the growing business side of things, especially since I took over SUFC, things have changed a lot. If we build more such academies in India, surely Indian football will be on the rise in the coming years,” said Sharan Parikh while speaking on the academy structure in India.

When asked about the set of challenges, he opened up about the public response and the future plans, the director opened up on how the club functions.

“Building state-of-the-art infrastructure was certainly a challenge. While we have succeeded in building world-class infrastructure, it was a long process. The global football industry faces a major challenge in establishing a consistent revenue stream. Especially in India, football is still a growing industry. Despite being over 100 years old, it has not yet achieved business maturity. However, it is growing, and that’s encouraging for everyone involved,” Parikh said on the challenges of building the academy.

“When entering smaller cities, we cannot underestimate people's love for football and their passion and desire to encourage children to participate in physical, healthy, and group activities. We are confident and not fearful of entering smaller cities because we know about football's strong impact in bringing communities together. The experience of our staff in Solapur has been very encouraging, and although it's just the beginning, we are optimistic about our partnership with the Solapur community,” the club Director said on the expansion in Maharashtra’s Solapur.

Future plans

“We plan for the long term, and make sure that every step we take is solid. We aim to build ourselves as a case study, learning from our mistakes to help others avoid them. As far as ISL and footballing ladder are concerned, we focus on youth development rather than acquiring ready-made players. This approach supports our goal of creating a sustainable family business. As our youth players develop, our first team will improve, advancing up the football ladder on merit. We are happy to progress one step at a time,” Parikh added.

Currently, as a football training academy in Bengaluru, SUFC’s dedication extends beyond its training programmes. The academy actively participates in community outreach and development initiatives. These efforts have ensured that football reaches every corner of society, irrespective of socio-economic background. SUFC conducts camps, clinics, and workshops across various cities, aiming to reach out to budding talent who might not have access to formal training otherwise.