Jamshedpur FC fans will soon be able to connect with their team virtually during the seventh edition of the Indian Super League, which unfolds in Goa on November 20.
The authorities have given supporters of every club an opportunity to be a part of its live video fan wall. This will be streamed into stadiums as well as on live television during the matches.
With less than two weeks away till the JFC faces their opponent Chennaiyan FC during their first match, the excitement for the football fans in the steel city is at its peak.
“All the clubs will be without their fans and that direct emotional connection will obviously be missing. However, credit to ISL and Star for making the concept of the Fan Wall possible. We will be conducting contests for the fans to be able to feature on the Fan Wall. This will be a good opportunity for the fans to be connected virtually at the stadium. Twenty-thirty fans will be selected for the same,” said JFC chief executive officer Mukul Choudhari.
He added that the JFC authorities will conduct contests on their social media handles including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, starting Thursday, to select the winners.“All the fans have to do is answer correctly a simple question to be able to have a chance to be part of the Fan Wall. The winners will be chosen at random,” Choudhari said, speaking from Goa.
He also spoke about the challenges the team may face in Goa. “Well, we were mentally prepared for the challenges. We knew it’s not going to be as easy as it is back at home in Jamshedpur. For example, in Jamshedpur our practice ground is right downstairs at our players accommodation, but here in Goa it’s half-an-hour (12 km travel) one-way. But the league has taken great initiatives and have been really helpful for all the clubs to settle. It’s a massive task to conduct a tournament of ISL stature in the current situation and the organisers have done a fabulous job to help us all.”
The team has been establishing a bond and mixing well during its training as well as off the field, he explained. “That’s the whole point of having the pre-season in the end. Owen Coyle (head coach) has been focusing on fitness of the players too as many of them haven’t played a competitive match for almost seven months now (last matches played in February/March this year). The coach demands high intensity from his players and pre-season is of paramount importance. The team has already played a couple of practice matches and will be playing two more in the coming days,” he added.
Choudhari said they promoted 10 ex-Tata Football Academy graduates to be available for the senior team. Four of them, Manisana, Manash Gogoi, Billu Teli and goalkeeper Vishal Yadav have been retained in Goa and others will be called on basis of requirements of the coach.
On the home venue (Tilak Maidan in Vasco da Gama), he said the ground is being shared by JFC, NorthEast United FC, SC East Bengal and Hyderabad FC. “It will be very different without the fans and not being able to play at the Furnace (JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur), but we have to adjust to the new normal,” he said while signing off.
