Legendary Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia on Thursday made a strong call for strengthening the game at the age-group level, saying without that it was virtually impossible for the senior national team to make an impact at the international level.

Bhutia, who has played more than 100 games for India and scored 42 international goals, also asked the All India Football Federation (AIFF), state associations, I-League and ISL clubs to start working at the grassroots for the development of the next generation of players.

"In India, if the (senior) national football team has to do well, I think our U17, U19 and U20 teams have to start qualifying for the Asia Cups and World Cups on merit basis. Until and unless you don't do that, it becomes very difficult for the national team to give you great and big result.

"That's where we can start dreaming for our national team to start doing well," said the India great while announcing a partnership between his academy, Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools (BBFS) and Premier League side Southampton Football Club, aimed at developing the grassroots coaching system.

"If you look at the results especially for the age group tournaments, we have not been performing great. Today, U20 players are losing to Bangladesh, not qualifying for the Asia Cup. We can't expect miracles from the senior team. We need to really work at the ground level. The important thing for the AIFF is to bring as many kids as possible to play." As part of the agreement, which will initially be for three years, BBFS will be the international academy partner of The Saints, which will enable them to get access to Southampton FC's academy performance plan, including coaching, tactics and strategy from U6 to U16 levels.

The agreement also covers building player experiences through programmes like staff visits, customised camps and tournaments in England as well as in India.

Bhutia added that the two major leagues in the country -- ISL and I-League -- too will have to do more to build a big pool of young players to bring the country's football up to European standards.

"We'll also have to make sure that every state, club, I-League and ISL invest big time in grassroots honestly because we still need that setup what a lot of European leagues are doing... investing in young talent and making it an asset, benefiting the players, and the national team," he added.

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier, who spent his entire professional club career with The Saints, becoming the first midfielder to score 100 goals in the Premier League, said that the best way to improve a country's football was to invest in its coaches.

Southampton FC's coaching philosophy and best practices in youth development can now be integrated into the training programs at BBFS, ensuring that aspiring Indian footballers and coaches are equipped with the skills and the mindset necessary to succeed in the world's most popular sport, said Matt, 55, who is the second-highest scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon.

"Nobody develops footballing talent better than The Saints. I have been there all my life and I can tell you that they have the most committed academy coaches and support staff which have produced some of the best players in England."

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