HYDERABAD
Sreenidi Deccan FC (SDFC) announced a technical partnership deal with Portuguese giant SL Benfica aiming to provide training, using SL Benfica’s methodology, for young athletes in the age group of six to 18.
Sreenidhi Educational Group chairman Dr. K.T. Mahhe, All-India Football Federation (AIFF) president and Indian Olympic Association (IOA) CEO & Secretary-General Kalyan Chaubey, Telangana Football Association (TFA) general secretary G.P. Palguna, Sreenidhi Institute of Technology CEO Abhijeet Rao and SDFC Chief Football Officer Fabio Ferreira were present.
SL Benfica was represented by Miguel Reis, global expansion coordinator, and Davide Gomes, international project manager.
“This is a big milestone in a journey we began in 2015. It reaffirms our commitment to the continued development of football in India and Telangana. By aligning with a brand as big as SL Benfica, we hope to carry on the Sreenidhi legacy of excellence,” Dr. Mahhe said.
“We see this partnership as an exciting opportunity to combine SL Benfica’s footballing expertise with our world class facilities to elevate the quality of our football programmes, and Indian football both on and off the pitch,” Ferreira said.
The SL Benfica Football Game Teaching Model focuses on the co-ordination between two age categories – Initiation (under-7 to 13) and Specialisation (u-15 to 19).
The partnership includes Player Development Support Programmes which cater to strength and conditioning, nutrition and psychology among others and there will also be a Coach Education Programme between Sreenidi Deccan FC and SL Benfica.
A dedicated technical staff member from SLBenfica has also taken on the role of Head of Youth Development at Sreenidi Deccan FC.
“This alliance has been facilitated by Sreenidi Deccan FC’s visionary approach over the years to partner with leading European football clubs, aiming to enhance the skills of their promising youth academy players. Both our clubs are bound by a common vision: to nurture players to compete at the highest level, and our ethos is centred on developing athletes to win,” explained Miguel Reis, global expansion coordinator for SL Benfica.
